HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 17: Dean Kremer #64 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on July 17, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The opener of the three-game series between two streaking teams was a disappointment for the Orioles. Now they’ll get two chances today to redeem themselves.
After the Birds’ four-error, one-run loss on Monday snapped their seven-game winning streak — and extended Boston’s to 14 — last night’s rainout has led to a split doubleheader to finish the series. Dean Kremer and Jake Bennett, who were originally slated to start the regularly scheduled 7:10 game, have both been moved up to the afternoon contest. Kyle Bradish will make his second-half debut in the nightcap.
If Kremer hopes to cool down the red-hot Red Sox, he’ll need to work a little further into the game than he has recently. He went just four innings in Houston last Friday and five against the Cubs the week before. He has pitched well in his most recent outings against the Sox, working 5.1 scoreless innings against them last season and 7.1 frames of one-run ball in 2024. Kremer has held Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela in check (1-for-8 each) but has struggled against Masataka Yoshida (5-for-10) and Jarren Duran (5-for-11).
The Orioles will get their first look at Bennett, a 25-year-old who was Boston’s second-round pick in 2022. He’s had a fantastic introduction to the majors, posting a 2.35 ERA in nine starts since debuting May 1. With the O’s facing a lefty for the second straight game, Craig Albernaz is running it back with the same lineup he used against Payton Tolle on Monday, except with Jackson Holliday starting at second instead of Jeremiah Jackson.
Can the Orioles find enough spark to snap Boston’s epic streak? It would help if the O’s could actually play defense today.
Orioles lineup:
LF Taylor Ward 1B Pete Alonso SS Gunnar Henderson RF Tyler O’Neill DH Coby Mayo CF Leody Taveras 3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand 2B Jackson Holliday C Sam Huff
RHP Dean Kremer
Red Sox lineup:
DH Masataka Yoshida CF Ceddanne Rafaela RF Wilyer Abreu 1B Willson Contreras 3B Caleb Durbin 2B Romy Gonzalez LF Jarren Duran C Connor Wong SS Tsung-Che Cheng
On this day 39 years ago, Harold Baines became the all-time White Sox home run leader. | (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
1928 Hall-of-Famer Red Faber could do it all — and on occasion, he could hit.
Up to bat in the top of the eighth at Yankee Stadium, with two outs and runners at second and third and the game tied, 4-4, Faber was down two strikes. The righty Faber then jumped across the plate to finish the at-bat left-handed — and knocked in the eventual game-winning runs with a single!
The hit raised Faber’s average to .088 on the season, and pushed home his first two runs of the year. Oh, and Faber went the distance for the win.
1954 The only home run Mickey Mantle ever hit as a shortstop in the major leagues was a back-breaker, coming with two outs in the bottom of the 10th off of Don Johnson to beat the White Sox, 4-3.
It was a long shot, down 3-1 in the eighth, when Casey Stengel pinch-hit Enos Slaughter for shortstop Willy Miranda. But Eddie Robinson homered and later in the inning Mantle singled in the tying run. Shortstop Phil Rizzuto then entered the game — to play second base, while Mantle moved in from center field to man shortstop (Mantle came up through the Yankees farm as a shortstop, but had played just one career inning in the majors there.
With Rizzuto and Mantle back at the normal positions, the second-place Yankees won the nightcap, 11-1, to complete the sweep and move six games ahead of the third-place Sox.
1962 White Sox outfielder Floyd Robinson got six singles in six at-bats, with one RBI and one run, in a 7-3 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. He was the third player in franchise history to get six hits in a game.
The game raised Robinson’s average 12 points, to .319. Robinson would end the season at .312, with 11 homers and an impressive 109 RBIs.
1987 After the Baltimore Orioles struck for three runs in the third inning at Comiskey Park, the White Sox punched back with five. The burst began with a leadoff homer from Ken Williams and continued later on with a two-run shot from Harold Baines and a back-to-back jack from Iván Calderón.
The clout from Baines was his 155th career long ball, moving him past Bill Melton for the all-time franchise lead.
As for the game, Baltimore struck right back with five runs of its own in the top of the third, sending José DeLeón to the showers in an eventual 10-5 loss.
As for the home-run record, Baines would end up as a brief caretaker of the title between longtime holders Melton and Frank Thomas, who passed Baines in 1996 and with 448 in his career remains the all-time round-tripper leader on the South Side. Baines remains fourth all-time (221), also later passed by Paul Konerko (432) and José Abreu (243).
1991 Former White Sox owner Bill Veeck was enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Veeck also owned Cleveland and St. Louis Browns. He revolutionized the way baseball marketed its product, and he was decades ahead of his time in his thinking on revenue sharing and baseball’s option clause — which caused other owners, in some cases, to despise him. But he was beloved by fans, especially in Chicago, where he’d often walk around the stands during games interacting with the patrons.
1994 Did you know that three-time Manager of the Year Bob Melvin ended his playing career with the White Sox? On this day, the Angels swapped him to the Sox for pitcher Jeff Schwarz. Melvin got into just 11 games and had three hits, none for extra bases, giving him a -0.3 White Sox WAR. He was granted free agency after the season, and never played in the majors again.
Nine years later, he assumed the stewardship of the Seattle Mariners and guided them to 93 wins. He’s managed in the majors in every year since, taking 2010 off. He’s currently the skipper of the San Francisco Giants.
1995 In a game in Chicago, Brewers manager Phil Garner and White Sox manager Terry Bevington got into a fist-swinging brawl near the third-base bag. The brawl was touched off when Ozzie Guillén shoved Jeff Cirillo on a play at third base.
Garner, who managed Milwaukee from 1992-99, had incidents with the Sox before. Many of those were prompted by some of his acerbic comments, including refusing to refer to the Sox by name, using the moniker “big city.”
Lakers' star Wilt Chamberlain played his final NBA season in 1972-73. The warmup jacket he was wearing in this photo is believed to be the same one that was found at a Goodwill in January and eventually auctioned for nearly $90,000. (Anonymous / Associated Press)
A Portland teenager found a random old Lakers jacket in a Goodwill bin in January.
He paid $3.07 for it.
Seven months later, the item sold at auction for $89,600.
Turns out the old jacket wasn’t so random after all.
Verified by Sotheby’s auction house, it was a warmup jacket worn by NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain at least three times. That includes during the 1972 NBA Finals in which the Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in five games and Chamberlain was named the series MVP.
“This is Truly a once in a lifetime find,” Quinn Brown wrote on Instagram in January. “I am so grateful this jacket has landed in my hands.”
Brown, 19, has been reselling his thrift-store clothing finds online for the past three years. When he saw someone toss the short-sleeved Lakers jacket with “Chamberlain” on the back into a bin of clothes outside Goodwill, Brown grabbed it for his online shop.
Then he did some research. Brown found an online photo of Chamberlain wearing a jacket that looked very similar. He also discovered that the four-time league MVP’s jersey measurements closely matched those of the jacket.
This undated photo provided by Sotheby's shows a warmup jacket worn by Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA Finals that was found in an Oregon thrift store. (Sotheby's via Associated Press)
After he posted a photo of the jacket online, Brown was contacted by Sotheby’s about consigning it for auction. He took the auction house up on the offer, and the jacket was whisked away in an armored vehicle.
Sotheby’s photomatched the jacket to three images: an undated photo from the 1972-73 season, a photo from a January 1973 game and a photo from a 1972 home game against the Knicks that was determined to be from either Game 1 or Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Chamberlain had 12 points and 19 rebounds in Game 1, a 114-92 Lakers loss, and 23 points and 24 rebounds in Game 2, a 106-92 Lakers victory.
“I didn’t even think that finding something like this was possible,” Brown told the Associated Press. “I got very, very lucky.”
Sotheby’s estimated that the jacket could go for $150,000 to $250,000. While the final amount wasn’t quite that high, Brown told KIRO-FM (97.3) in Tacoma, Wash., that he’s “obviously happy” after making back 29,000-times his initial investment.
“$90,000 is pretty good,” he said. “I was hoping it would go higher. A little surprised, sitting there the last five minutes it didn’t really get any bids. So that was a little disappointing. But, still, a lot of money — especially since I only spent $3.”
ARLINGTON, TX - JULY 21: Members of the Texas Rangers celebrate a win after the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kelcee Skoug/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rangers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Texas Rangers are currently in first place in the American League West, up a half game on the Seattle Mariners. Texas is a game back of the Boston Red Sox, who are in Wild Card 3, 2.5 games back of Wild Card 2 (which is either the White Sox or the Guardians, who are also tied for first place in the American League Central), and 5.5 games back of the New York Yankees, who have the Wild Card 1 spot.
Our question for today is…where do you think the Texas Rangers end up at the end of 2026, vis-a-vis the playoffs?
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora (2) pitches during the game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. | Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Do the owners of Major League Baseball like baseball? Unclear. Sure, the league has been “listening” to its fans during this Collective Bargaining Agreement, but only because “the fans” agree with them about the “need” for a salary cap. When it comes to something like, say, the minor leagues, the league seems completely disinterested in what you and I have to say.
The latest SB Nation Reacts poll focuses on the prospect component of the just-completed All-Star festivities in Philadelphia. First, it’s important note that MLB moved the draft to coincide with the All-Star Game as a way to boost interest and elevate it into a higher strata that competed with the NBA and NFL drafts.
But a funny thing has happened with those intentions: they got thrown in the trash.
Now, maybe it had something to do with America 250 or the World Cup, but the draft in Philadelphia was completely downplayed, almost to the point of being an afterthought. First, it was very difficult to just sit down and watch it.
The first day of coverage was sliced up into one of the strangest viewing experiences this long-time couch potato has ever seen:
Day 1 (Rounds 1-4) Saturday, July 11:
1 p.m. — picks 1-10 on NBC and Peacock 2:30 p.m. — picks 11-40 on MLB Network, Peacock, MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB+ 4:30 p.m. — picks 41-135 on MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB+
Day 2 (Rounds 5-20) Sunday, July 12:
11:30 a.m. on MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB+
That’s six total platforms and on day 1 you’ll be forced to change your channel twice just to keep watching. An absurd bit of scheduling that demands an explanation. Did NBC have Rob by the Manfreds and he had no choice but to slice it up like this? Peacock is a streaming platform that could’ve ran the whole thing. MLB Network is the league’s own cable channel that could’ve covered whatever their broadcast partner couldn’t or wouldn’t.
So, it was tough to track just from a viewing experience. It was even difficult for, say, FanDuel users to follow along in order to bet on who would be drafted next. In the room, the draft itself wound up being in the way.
After the Dodgers made the 40th pick, the live show portion of the draft was over. Quite quickly, the draft rolled on into the second round, which, again, aired on MLB.com. But in the convention center, the draft was effectively over. The remaining fans trickled out. Picks were being analyzed a floor up on the broadcast desk, but they weren’t being announced to anyone remaining in the arena.
[…]
While the remaining picks were being streamed online for those fans still watching, arena crews began disassembling the stage and seating area that only a few hours earlier had housed one of the most important days on the baseball calendar. Workers on lifts could be seen pulling down the lighting trusses and doing other work to tear down the stands and lighting.
And because the Baseball Draft is actually different from the drafts it’s being forced to compete with for some reason, the league doesn’t fly out a crop of prospects to be there in the room. So, why are they making a show of this at all if the show they plan to put on stinks at the concept stage? I’ll admit that my interest in the Giants’ pick of Jackson Flora was generated only after the fact while reading about him. I can’t imagine what the people who actually care beforehand were being put through during this streaming telecast mess.
Anyway, while fans are being used to crush one of the most powerful unions in the world (which should be an example of what makes unions great rather than why they are bad), they’re probably going to be flatly ignored when it comes to everything else.
The fans and traditionalists have it right here. The draft should be held in June. The baseball calendar had been shaped around a June draft for years and years, primarily for practical reasons. But beyond that, making it A Thing hasn’t really worked, because that was only a marketing decision. The league wanted to do… something… even if it was bad.
Speaking of marketing, though, the other poll question had a predictable response:
I think this desire is good and pure and true, and it’s another example of the league wanting a win in a press release but not in reality. The game aired at 9am Pacific and in the course of a regular schedule of MLB games. I would’ve liked to have seen Dakota Jordan’s double when I was more awake!
So, it seems like the easy call here is to put it in Prime Time a la the Home Run Derby.
But here’s the thing: it’s not a given that the league is invested in the minor leagues. In fact, the latest CBA proposal regarding the draft is a continuation of the Jeff Luhnow plan to shrink the minor leagues:
The goal is to push off as much development as possible onto college baseball programs. There is also the growing control by private equity funds of minor league teams. It seems like a good collision of “ruthless efficiency” that will almost certainly be good for the players and fans, right?
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JULY 17: Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals throws during the first inning of a game against the San Diego Padres at Kauffman Stadium on July 17, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kansas City has come out of the All-Star break 4-1 and are going for the sweep today. Unfortunately, everyone is getting hurt and the run differential is still negative over those five games because of the blowout on Sunday. Jac Caglianone is out after hurting his shoulder last night and Bobby Witt Jr. is going to the injured list. The season of attrition continues. Replacing Bobby is Andrew Velazquez who has been bouncing around the majors and minors for a long time and will make his debut for the Royals. He is an okay defensive shortstop with a career wRC+ of 48, so please heal quickly Bobby!
Seth Lugo will take the mound today trying to build off of a strong start against San Diego Last time out. He will face Landen Roupp. Roupp is a 27 year old righty who has been pretty solid for the Giants the last three years. He does have a proclivity for walking some batters and he has struggled with runners on base this season.
DETROIT, MI - JULY 08: Athletics relief pitcher Mason Barnett (63) pitches during a regular season Major League Baseball game between the Athletics and the Detroit Tigers on July 8, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The A’s just can’t catch a break in the health department. The club announced that right-hander J.T. Ginn is the latest member of the squad to land on the 10-day IL, landing there because of a blister on his right middle finger:
The A’s placed RHP J.T. Ginn on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 18, with a right middle finger blister and recalled RHP Mason Barnett from Triple-A Las Vegas.
The loss hurts for the short-term but on the bright side this shouldn’t be a long-term absence for the righty. In fact it could be a blessing in disguise: Ginn has already surpassed his career-high in innings pitched and a breather, even after the All-Star Break, isn’t the worst thing in the world. It certainly makes the team’s decision for them regarding slowing down the righty in what is his first full big league season as a starting pitcher. Don’t want to blow out his arm during the final stretch of a lost season.
Ginn’s absence will presumably allow right-hander Mason Barnett a chance at starting for the next couple of weeks. The well-regarded righty hasn’t quite found his footing at the big league level yet but with where the A’s are in the standings maybe giving him an extended look against big league hitters as a starting pitcher isn’t the worst way to use the final couple months of the season.
There remains no known timetable for Giancarlo Stanton, but based on what Aaron Boone is seeing, the return of the designated hitter “shouldn’t be too far off.”
The Yankees manager wanted to correct the record on Stanton on Tuesday, telling the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast that Stanton is closer to rejoining the club than reports had indicated.
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Asked Wednesday, Boone said that the lack of a public and known timeline does not mean Stanton is a great distance away from playing again.
“I feel like he’s moving in a good direction,” Boone said before a doubleheader in The Bronx against the Pirates. “I just don’t know if [his return is] a couple of weeks from now, a few weeks from now, whatever it is.
“But he is getting much closer to that point.”
Stanton has not played since suffering a right calf strain on April 24.
Giancarlo Stanton’s return date still a mystery Jason Szenes for the New York Post
He appeared on the verge of a return in mid-June, when he had progressed to running the bases, but then felt something in his calf that Brian Cashman later clarified was “a whole new injury,” rather than a setback.
Since that point, Stanton has not run the bases, and the Yankees have not offered much detail about when the powerful but oft-injured slugger could return.
In what is probably the most optimistic update yet from Boone, the manager said Stanton “is running, and so I think based on that, it shouldn’t be too far off.”
Stanton has been in his running progression for several weeks. Boone said Stanton is at the stage of reaching “certain speed points” and then “obviously bouncing back and recovering.”
There is still little clarity about the exact details of Stanton’s daily workload, but the club says he is making progress and has been hitting.
Stanton generally prefers skipping rehab assignments, feeling he can be ready by swinging off the Trajekt machine, but a return-to-play plan, too, is unknown.
“I don’t have a timeline,” Boone reiterated. “I don’t know when he gets to the end of that and then what we do to get him back.”
During the Roarin' Twenties, when the Yankees dominated baseball and the Rangers had won their first (1928) Stanley Cup, Frank Boucher was the Blueshirts star and a good baseball player.
This was proven one day when Babe met Frank on the ball field.
As it happened, on one sunny Ottawa day in the summer when The Sultan of Swat and The Raffles Boucher actually faced each other in an intense baseball game that also featured Yankees' legend Lou Gehrig.
This was in the very late 1920's before the Rangers opened their training camp but after the baseball season had ended. In those days it was normal for The Babe and Lou to travel across America and Canada picking up extra cash playing exhibitions.
"This particular game happened to be played in Hull," said Boucher, "across the river from my home town of Ottawa. Our Canadian team was composed of amateur ball players from Montreal and Ottawa. Not surprisingly Babe and Lou drew an overflow crowd.
"As it happened Ruth and Gehrig were on the same team and I played shortstop in Gehrig's infield. My brother Buck Boucher was on the home team in centerfield which was a mistake.
Buck was a terrific catcher but he never played center in his life."
Just to make the game even zanier for Buck, he had brought his catcher's mitt to the game and didn't have a fielder's glove. Frank had to loan his brother his fielder's glove every time the sides changed.
Boston, MA - January 28 - Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) lets the ball get loose as Boston Celtics guards Jordan Walsh (27), Hugo Gonzalez (28) and Baylor Scheierman (55) surround during the second half of a NBA game at the Garden. (Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images). | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
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Jaylen Brown is a 76er. Paul George is a Celtic.
That trade — and the addition of Mitchell Robinson — was the highlight of the summer and could be the difference of whether or not the Celtics surpass the pleasant surprise of their 56 wins a year ago. However, there’s also the continued internal development of so many of the players that were responsible for that unexpected regular season.
There’s Hugo Gonzalez, who seems to have added more to his tool belt based his Summer League performance. He was used as a spark plug off the bench in his rookie year, but in Vegas, we got a glimpse of what he might look like as an offensive engine and maybe more importantly, as a leader in the locker room.
What about Hugo’s superfriend, Baylor Scheierman? In a 20-game stretch last year, he averaged nearly 10-6-3 as a starter before Tatum returned from his Achilles tear. His defense improved dramatically and he’ll again bring his Swiss army knife skillset to the table, whether that’s off the bench or alongside Derrick White in the backcourt.
After the team picked up their option on Jordan Walsh’s contract, it became fully guaranteed on Monday and during a visit to Vegas, Walsh guaranteed to get better on the offensive side of the ball:
Jordan Walsh on what that shift in his offensive role looks like:
“It means being a threat at all points in the game. I feel like there's a lot of times in the season last year where it became clutch moments where we need a bucket and I have to get subbed out.
And after bouncing around the fringes of the league, Ron Harper Jr. signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Celtics. That’s a huge vote of confidence for the 26-year-old who could become that microwave scorer in the second unit.
The new collective bargaining agreement has made the contributions of players on their rookie deals or minimum contracts a necessary premium for teams looking to contend. In the past, teams could use the backend of their roster more for patient player development; now, they’re getting thrown right into the fire and are expected to perform and perform well. With that in mind, who’s going to be Boston’s best candidate for Most Improved Player in 2026-2027?
NBA owners loved it — this is what they and Adam Silver want to see, players willingly taking a little less money. It frustrated the NBA players' union, starting with the fact it's a decision that had to be made at all.
Victor Wembanyama took a discount on his contract extension with the Spurs that could save the team a little more than $50 million over five years by agreeing to only take 25% of the salary cap — still five years, $252 million — rather than the 30% he would be eligible for if he is again Defensive Player of the Year or makes an All-NBA team (thinks that feel like a lock if he plays the required 65 games next season).
For the first time, Wemby discussed his decision, speaking to Jason Jones of The Athletic about the French center being named the NBA 2K27 cover athlete (along with Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose).
"We have a good team, we had a very good playoff run, and we had a very good regular season. But what's even better and greater is our potential. The reality of today's NBA is that often, the potential of teams is not fulfilled because of money. I just want to make sure it's never our case."
We are not alone
Victor Wembanyama has landed as your NBA 2K27 Standard Edition Cover Athlete
Welcome to the world of the second apron of the luxury tax, which teams are treating as a hard cap. Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren took the same discount Wemby did a year ago, and yet this summer his team had to let go of Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to stay below that line. Boston traded Jaylen Brown because management said it couldn't build a contending team in the future with him and Jayson Tatum taking up a combined 70% of the salary cap. Wemby sees the extensions coming for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper — plus De'Aaron Fox being on a huge contract — and did what he sees as his part.
If anyone deserved all the money he can get, it's Wembanyama, who at age 22 is arguably the best player walking the face of the earth — and in a couple years that will not be an argument. Last season he averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, lifted the Spurs to the NBA Finals, was voted the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, came in third in MVP voting and was voted First Team All-NBA. He is becoming a massive global brand and star.
Which is why he's on the cover of NBA 2K27, taking the spot that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander held a year ago for the top-selling sports video game in the United States. Wemby gets that this is big.
"I know it means a lot culturally, too. It's hard to realize for me that I'm taking more and more space, more real estate in the world of basketball, in what basketball means, in professional basketball."
And his eyes, if the money he gave up helps him and the Spurs stay there, then it's worth it.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung exited early from a 10-0 win over the Chicago White Sox because of left calf tightness.
Jung, the team’s leading hitter with a .294 average, was replaced in the field in the top of the fourth inning. Jung had a two-out single in the third, then appeared slow going from first to third base on a single by Brandon Nimmo. Jung did finish that inning, scoring on a double by Jake Burger.
After the game, Jung said he was a little sore but not concerned about the tightness he first felt when running to first base on his hit in the third inning. He said he wanted to play through it, but Rangers manager Skip Schumaker took him out of the game.
The Rangers before the game placed catcher Kyle Higashioka on the 10-day injured list with right flexor strain, and put right-handed pitcher Jose Corniell on the 15-day list with the same injury.
Texas brought up left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales and catcher Austin Wynns from Triple-A Round Rock.
Gonzales, a 34-year-old left-hander, pitched the final three innings for his first big league save — in his 171st career game since his debut in 2014, and his first relief appearance in the majors since 2017.
It was his first big league game since a start for Pittsburgh on Aug. 7, 2024. He missed all of last season recovering from elbow surgery, and started this season in the San Diego Padres organization.
Left-hander Jalen Beeks, who will miss the rest of the season because of surgery for a flexor tendon strain, was transferred to the 60-day IL.
New Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro was in Paris when he was traded and had a stern message for the Heat the moment he learned he was being shipped out.
Herro was sent to Milwaukee, his hometown team, in a blockbuster trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat, and he couldn’t believe that he was being moved.
“Back to the motherf–king crib, dog,” Herro said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “Y’all did lost your motherf–king mind.”
Bucks guard Tyler Herro reacts to his trade to Milwaukee on his YouTube channel. Tyler Herro/YouTube
He appeared to be all smiles, singing verses of “The Boys Are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy multiple times after learning of his new team.
A passenger in the car with him then began singing “I’m Coming Home” by Skylar Grey in anticipation for his return to Wisconsin.
“I’m ready to come home and not prove everyone wrong,” he told ESPN, “but just be able to represent the city and the state because I wanted to do that coming out of school as well.”
Herro went to Whitnall High School in Greenfield, Wisc., where he finished his career with over 2,000 points, was named the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year and earned First Team All-State.
He earned a four-star ranking and was the No. 1 player in Wisconsin, per 247Sports. He chose to play for John Calipari at Kentucky instead of staying home with Wisconsin.
Tyler Herro #14 of the Milwaukee Bucks attends a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. NBAE via Getty Images
The incident started when Adebayo approached Herro and confronted him about comments the guard had made on social media, criticizing Adebayo and Antetokounmpo.
Herro responded verbally, which Adebayo took exception to, and the incident became physical. Sources with knowledge of the altercation told ESPN that Adebayo hit Herro in the face area.
The two left the gym on their own after others refrained them from striking each other again.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to move past all of it,” Herro told ESPN. “I’m focused on Milwaukee and building something special. They obviously just traded the greatest player in their history, so we want to come in and help continue what they’ve been doing.”
The full trade saw Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis head to the Heat in exchange for Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis, plus a haul of draft picks.
CHICAGO — Cubs reliever Trent Thornton is day to day with a bruised left heel after he was struck by a comebacker.
Thornton had a CT scan that showed no fractures. He played catch before the Cubs’ 11-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, and the right-hander was optimistic about avoiding a stint on the injured list.
“I got very lucky,” he said. “Definitely a lot of positive signs today.”
Thornton came in to pitch the 10th inning in the Cubs’ series opener against the Tigers. But he was helped off the field after he was hit by Riley Greene’s 108.9 mph liner.
The 32-year-old Thornton credited his Mizuno cleats with helping him avoid serious injury. He was wearing a model with a hard shell right at the heel, while his other cleats have a soft outer shell for that area of the foot.
The Cubs used seven relievers during an 8-6 loss.
Thornton got hurt on the same day that fellow reliever Phil Maton went on the 15-day IL for the third time this season with right knee tendinitis.
Manager Craig Counsell said Maton received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He is expected to have no significant activity for the next three weeks.
Utilityman Matt Shaw is traveling to the team’s complex in Arizona and may start swinging a bat soon. Shaw was placed on the IL on June 29 with a sprained left hand.
“The good news was the additional imaging showed improved healing,” Counsell said. “That makes Matt feel good, obviously, so we just got to get through the last little bit.”
CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers placed right-hander Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list with right flexor inflammation.
Flaherty pitched four innings in an 8-6 victory at the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three runs and four hits.
The 30-year-old Flaherty is 3-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 19 starts this season. He finalized a two-year, $35 million contract with Detroit in February 2025.
“It wasn’t a clear-cut IL when we woke up this morning, and then as the day went on and the more (opinions) we got, the more we realized he wasn’t going to pitch in five or six days,” manager A.J. Hinch said.
Ty Madden was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, putting a fresh arm in Detroit’s weary bullpen. The right-hander replaced Framber Valdez with two outs in the first and pitched 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in an 11-2 loss at Wrigley Field.
The Tigers used four relievers to cover 4 2/3 innings in a 3-2 loss at the Los Angeles Angels. Then they used five relievers for six innings in their series opener against the Cubs.
Infielder Zach McKinstry and catcher Jake Rogers each pitched one inning.
“The two position players helped us get to the finish line,” Hinch said. “Today was like live to play another day.”
The 26-year-old Madden has no record and a 3.09 ERA in eight appearances for Detroit this year. He is 2-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 11 starts and one relief appearance with Toledo.
“There’s a little different edge and sort of a different attention to detail, I think, when he gets to the big leagues and he’s performed really well here,” Hinch said. “He challenges the strike zone. He’s got a tough, tough combo with his slider and split. Somebody I do trust a lot to pitch in a variety of roles.”
Hinch said Justin Verlander was the first player from the team to arrive at the ballpark. The 43-year-old right-hander, who plans to retire after this season, is coming back from hip and hamstring injuries.
“His arm’s still moving,” Hinch said. “We haven’t gotten to the mound yet. Once that happens, then we can start to lay out a little bit of a longer plan.”
