Even when they dig themselves out from the lowest point of their season, the Boston Red Sox can't win.
After sinking to their lowest point of the season - 15 ½ games out of first, 14 games under .500 - the Red Sox proceeded to win eight of their next 10 games. They were still in last place - but you could almost see fourth place from there.
Yet throughout that period, second-year lefty Connelly Early was diagnosed with elbow inflammation, went for an MRI, received "some good news," according to manager Chad Tracy - yet now is headed for a second opinion with noted orthopedist Keith Meister. Those often don't end well - and the Red Sox's season doesn't figure to, either.
Oh, they've moved up three spots in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings. Yet Early's loss would put even more of an onus on a lineup that's surprisingly averaged five runs per game in this hot streak. They best keep it up to avoid a wholesale sell-off by the trade deadline.
The Yolo County loyalists booed the Marlins for punting a perfect game, but perhaps a rotation wtih a 5.23 ERA - 29th in the majors - should've been the target of their ire.
For maybe the first time in league history, the NBA’s annually awkward summer moratorium might have been a good thing. It gave everybody in Boston nearly a full week to process the Jaylen Brown trade.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and lead owner Bill Chisholm will make their first official comments on the trade on Monday afternoon, finally spinning forward a trade that left everyone’s heads spinning. The league’s annual break, an awkward dead zone where trades and signings get negotiated but can’t be finalized over a six-day accounting stretch, gave Celtics fans the opportunity to navigate the entire five-stage grief spectrum.
From the denial that Paul George could truly be the headliner in a Brown package, to maybe the first bit of anger directed at Stevens in his 13 years in Boston, to bargaining whether George is really that much of a dropoff from Brown given his Round 1 performance last season, to the depression that the Jays era is truly over, it feels Boston fans have emerged from the July 4 holiday weekend having finally arrived at acceptance.
We’re guessing most don’t feel any better about the trade itself. But it’s time to move forward.
We’re not certain there’s much Stevens and Chisholm can say Monday about the Brown situation that will make anyone feel much better. They will smother Brown with praise for his decade-long contributions to the organization, including being a monster part of delivering Banner 18. They will likely tiptoe around the circumstances that forced the team to move as quickly as it did at the start of the offseason, especially given the seemingly lukewarm market for Brown’s services.
The best we might hope for is a clearer vision of what comes next.
You can twist yourself into a pretzel trying to determine how we ended up here. The three years, $185 million remaining on Brown’s max-money deal, coupled with the potential for a two-year, $142 million extension later this month, likely left Boston pondering harder if two supermax players commanding 35 percent of the cap was sustainable long-term.
Sprinkle in some analytical debate about Brown’s overall impact on winning, his arrival at his age-30 season, and the perpetual consternation about the 1A/1B stature of him and running mate Jayson Tatum, and it all might have all simmered together to force the Celtics to make a swallow-hard decision on his future.
We’d consider ourselves a numbers guy, leaning heavily into analytics during our time covering the Celtics. We’ve long shrugged our shoulders at Brown’s sometimes unexplainable on/off numbers.
The Celtics owned a +6.4 net rating during Brown’s 2,443 minutes on the court this past season. That’s a strong number and one that stat site Cleaning the Glass says puts the team on the same 56-win pace that Brown ultimately delivered the team. Boston was somehow 5.6 points per 100 possessions better without Brown, per Cleaning the Glass data. There’s some noise in there: lower-leverage minutes with an overachieving bench competing against some lesser competition. But it’s also Brown’s fourth straight season in the negative, including having a minus-8.9 on/off differential in the 2024 title season.
We struggle to reconcile with those numbers. You can’t watch what Brown did in the 2024 Finals, or nearly the entirety of last season, and suggest that he doesn’t impact winning. His greatest strength was his desire to take on challenges on the biggest stage, often producing his best moments when the stakes were the highest or the competition the toughest.
But now, coming off an MVP-caliber season and with Boston pondering the need to reel back in a sky-high usage rate with a healthier Tatum, we understand the consternation that has long existed about how exactly the Tatum/Brown combo might share duties moving forward. That Boston couldn’t immediately put the sort of surefire championship-ready supporting cast around them, this while navigating the new second-apron minefield the new collective bargaining agreement has delivered, added a layer of complication.
So the Celtics made a tough decision to pivot. Unfortunately for them, a very public pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, which might have further forced Boston’s hand, created an expectation for the level of player that might have been obtained in return for Brown.
While there were all sorts of risks with Antetokounmpo, including health and the need to pay him a very hefty long-term contract at an even more advanced age, the idea of pairing two top-10 players was at least intriguing to the Boston fan base. Landing on a past-his-prime George earning his own super max money at age 36 was not the Plan B most expected.
Maybe the Celtics simply felt like it was time to rip the Band-Aid. There was a justifiable fear that, if things didn’t go well this season, Brown’s trade value could have diminished even lower than what Boston seemingly settled for. We refuse to believe that there wasn’t a higher probability that league volatility might have eventually pushed Brown’s value up again, but certainly that was another part of the risk that Stevens and Co. had to ponder.
Maybe the bigger “What if?” is whether the Celtics should have moved off Brown last summer. If the team knew it was going to navigate the so-called gap year the team vehemently pushed back against, then could the Celtics have gotten a bigger haul for Brown (or even Derrick White) and chased a lottery pick while Tatum rehabbed?
The 2025-26 season was such a joy to watch that it feels weird to suggest the team should have embraced a far less enticing path. That said, that route might have expedited the return to true contender status. Hindsight is, of course, 20/20.
Little good can come from lingering on the past. What’s done is done. We’ve had an entire moratorium to process this trade. You don’t have to like it, but this is the path that Boston brass has chosen.
Stevens deserves some benefit of the doubt given his track record. He built a title team in 2023. The last two summers have been incredibly painful with the teardown in the aftermath, but there’s a pathway to a similar roster splurge in the summer of 2027.
The Celtics can reset pesky repeater penalties by staying under the luxury tax again this year. Next summer could provide an opportunity to chase a new star to pair alongside Tatum. There’s a very real pathway to combining the final year of George’s contract with Boston’s growing pile of picks and chasing one of the league’s biggest names.
Of course, we’re not patient around here.
The Celtics will still be competitive this season. George showed in the playoffs that he has something left in the tank, Boston will simply have to be diligent in how quickly they dispense it. There will be an opportunity for Payton Pritchard to step into a bigger spotlight yet again, and White will get every opportunity to show last year was simply an outlier shooting season. Newcomers Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley can aid in winning.
But all eyes are on the summer of 2027. That’s when Stevens and Co. will have a real chance to show why they made the Jaylen Brown trade.
SAN FRANCISCO – Pat Spencer’s impending departure from the Warriors created, at least on paper, a vacancy on the roster for a combo guard who can come off the bench and invigorate an offense that sometimes stagnates when Stephen Curry is on the bench.
Chance McMillian is using the California Classic Summer League to submit his application for the opening.
After a solid season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, McMillian came into the weekend at Chase Center realizing Golden State is holding roster auditions; only first-round pick Yaxel Lendesborg is guaranteed to make the team. McMillian, a 6-foot-3 Bay Area native and childhood fan of the Warriors made a nice bid to get a deeper look.
Playing 17 minutes off the bench Sunday afternoon, McMillian produced 12 points and three assists in a 98-69 win over the San Antonio Spurs. His totals for the first two games – 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4 of 6 from deep; six assists, six rebounds, three steals over 35 minutes – indicate that he knows his way around the court.
“He creates good situations for himself, good open looks,” Summer League coach Khalid Robinson said. “And then, when plays break down, he’s a very talented guy that can go create something for us. He gives us a little bit of everything.”
McMillian’s road to this opportunity has had more detours than Bay Area freeways at night. From two high schools in Vallejo to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where he spent three seasons. From GCU, he went to Texas Tech, where he played two seasons and as a senior was named to the All-Big 12 second team.
The Warriors brought McMillian into their circle last summer after he went undrafted, despite knowing surgery on his left ankle would render him unavailable. Once he recovered, he was assigned to Santa Cruz, he appeared in 30 games (24 starts), averaging 17 points, on 44.7-percent shooting from the field, including 35.7 from beyond the arc, with 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
“That whole Santa Cruz coaching staff just had unbelievable confidence in me,” McMillian said. “I felt that. I just put in the work, and each day it was just getting better for me. So, I credit the coaching staff.”
McMillian shot 40.8 percent from distance in college but was so unimpressed with his deep shot last season under coach Lainn Wilson with the Sea Dubs that he has spent countless hours in the gym at Chase Center since April.
“Lainn and his staff did a great job with him, just teaching him like how we want to play, our spacing, making good decisions,” Robinson said. “He had a full season of doing that. He’s worked throughout this summer, like the past two months on this, with the same teaching points. He’s done a very good job of carrying over the things from Santa Cruz and postseason into the Summer League.”
In his desire to improve, McMillian also is taking cues from Curry.
“My last year at Texas Tech, I played off ball, and I literally pulled up some of his film on how he gets open off the ball,” he said. “I remember getting face-guarded at the start of conference. And he was getting face-guarded, too, in big games. So, I was just picking and choosing on how he was moving off the ball, like little things on how to get open.”
McMillian, 25, would love a chance to be on the same roster as Curry. There is a path, probably with a two-way contract. But a lot can happen between early July and late September, when Golden State opens training camp.
Spencer, who last week reached agreement to join the Phoenix Suns, began last season on a two-way contract with the Warriors before being promoted at midseason to a standard NBA contract. He used grit, fearlessness and a few memorable scoring outbursts to elevate himself from intermittent appearances to being a staple in Golden State’s rotation.
When given an opportunity, Spencer exploited it.
McMillian is seeking an opportunity to fill a void on a roster still in progress. His best bet, as the California Classic ends Monday night and the team moves to the Las Vegas Summer League later this week is to maintain the early trajectory that began with the last two games.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 03: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on June 3, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NY Post | Jake Nisse: Yankees’ left-hander Max Fried continues to trend towards a rehab assignment, as he completed another live batting practice session on Sunday. The $218-million man is recovering from an elbow issue that sidelined him in May. He threw 36 pitches and faced Ryan McMahon and Alí Sánchez.
“It’s been good, it’s been a good run-up for him, and obviously another step today,” manager Aaron Boone said. The 32-year-old star boasts a 3.21 ERA in 61.2 innings this season.
NY Post | Mark Sánchez: With their loss on Sunday, the Yankees have now dropped nine of their last 10 games and 13 of their last 17 games. On top of the horrible, sloppy play, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. had to be removed from Sunday’s finale after the fifth inning with discomfort in his right toe. The team announced that X-rays were negative and said he’ll be reassessed Monday. “Kinda nags him from time to time,” Boone explained after the game.
NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: The Yankees are down right now, but they’ve got their biggest series of the year in front of them. They’re traveling down to Tampa for a massive four-game series against the Rays starting tonight, with a four-game deficit in the AL East that could either be closed entirely or grow to a massive gap. If anything’s going to get this team to wake up and get their season on a lifeboat, this challenge needs to be the one to do it.
SNY | Colin Martin: The Yankees recalled Ángel Chivilli on Sunday morning, and he made his first MLB appearance since April 19th. He pitched well, completing 1.1 scoreless innings in low-leverage duty, allowing one hit, and striking out one to lower his ERA to 2.45 in a tiny sample in the majors. He had posted a 1.08 ERA over 16.2 innings in Scranton, with 17 punchouts.
A recent Warriors NBA draft success story could be on his way out.
Third-year center and restricted free agent Quinten Post is signing a three-year, $30 million contract offer sheet with the Memphis Grizzlies, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday, citing sources.
Restricted free agent Quinten Post is signing a three-year, $30 million contract offer sheet with the Memphis Grizzlies, sources tell ESPN. The Golden State Warriors have until 11:59pm ET on Tuesday to match. pic.twitter.com/cLdHmUcEgo
Golden State selected Post with the No. 52 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Dutch big man quickly established himself as an intriguing stretch big in coach Steve Kerr’s system.
In 109 career games (49 starts) across two seasons with the Warriors, Post averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 44.3-percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range in 16.9 minutes per game.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 4: Cody Williams #5 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during a 2026 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League game on July 4, 2026 at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If you are anything like me, you have been watching highlights from the Utah Jazz summer league victory on Saturday afternoon incessantly with a massive cheesy grin every single time. Luckily for people like us, the Jazz take the floor once again, this time against a familiar face in Taylor Hendricks and the #3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Cameron Boozer.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JULY 4: Darryn Peterson #22 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against the Atlanta hawks during the first half of of their 2026 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League game at the Jon M Huntsman Center on July 4, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. ( Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images) | Getty Images
How to Watch the Salt Lake City Summer League?
Who: Utah Jazz vs Memphis Grizzlies
When: Monday, July 6, 2026 | 7:00 MT
Where: Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT
How to watch: Prime Video, ESPN, League Pass, KJZZ, Jazz+
Players to Watch
Darryn Peterson
Coming as a surprise to absolutely no one, the main player to watch in this one is once again going to be Darryn Peterson. After an absolutely superb debut showing on Independence Day, where he tallied 28 points on 11/21 shooting to go along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, all eyes will be on him to see how he will follow up those 4th of July fireworks. This time out, he will face off against the #3 overall pick, Cameron Boozer, who will surely look to make a statement against him. Darryn is the marquee player on the floor every time he plays in Summer League. As such, he has a target on his back. There are lots of guys on the opposing roster who will look to embarrass him to make a bigger name for themselves. One thing in particular to keep an eye on in this game is the turnovers. Darryn was responsible for 8 turnovers on Saturday night, and while not all of them were his fault, that is definitely a number that should be cleaned up as he gets more comfortable on the floor with his teammates.
Cody Williams
Cody Williams looked amazing in the Jazz Summer League Opener. The pessimistic side of things could look at his performance and say, “That is what 3rd-year players should do in Summer League. The optimistic side of that, however, is that there were legitimate stretches early in Cody’s NBA career when he genuinely didn’t look like he was going to make it through his rookie contract. It is really nice to see him getting stronger and more confident with the ball no matter the setting. If he can keep it up, he could be a really important player for this Jazz team with his length and defense as well.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – JULY 4: Cody Williams #5 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during a 2026 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League game on July 4, 2026 at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Cameron Boozer
Cameron Boozer will come out hungry and ready to prove a point to the Jazz. Last time out, he scored 15 points on 7/11 shooting in a dominant win over the Thunder. His dad, Carlos, we all know, works in the front office for Utah and during the predraft process, was quoted in an interview with Marc Spears as saying, “If they miss the boat, they will regret it,” when asked why NBA teams should take his son. You can bet your bottom dollar that Cameron feels the exact same way and wants to embarrass Darryn Peterson in front of his home fans. Although they won’t be matched up head-to-head very often, watch out for the two guys to try to really go at it.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez drove in two runs, Luinder Avile went five innings, and the Kansas City Royals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Avila (4-3) held Philadelphia to one run in five innings. He had four strikeouts and one walk. Alex Lange pitched the ninth for this eighth save.
The Royals scored a pair of runs in the first inning when Lane Thomas knocked a two-out double to right-center field. Michael Massey followed with an RBI single.
Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a triple in the fifth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly from Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Avila left after the next out.
Kansas City’s Isaac Collins led off the fifth with a double after successfully challenging a third-strike call for the second time in the game. He scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Jac Caglianone.
Stott struck again in the seventh with a leadoff single. He advanced on a fielder’s choice and throwing error, then scored on another force out.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola (3-6) struck out seven across seven innings, including the last three batters he faced.
Perez sealed the game for the Royals with a two-run double in the eighth inning that scored Bobby Witt Jr. and Thomas.
With a walk in the sixth, Kyle Schwarber has reached base in 11 consecutive games.
Before the game, the Royals inducted former player, coach and manager John Wathan into the organization’s Hall of Fame. He played 10 seasons in the majors and won the 1985 World Series with Kansas City.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jarren Duran and Willson Contreras homered, and five Boston pitchers combined to give up two runs over 6 1/3 innings in relief of injured starter Ranger Suarez to lead the Red Sox to a 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night.
Boston’s eighth victory in 10 games completed a three-game sweep of the Angels, who have lost six straight and 12 of 19 since June 14.
Suarez, named to the American League All-Star team Saturday, exited with two outs in the third because of left adductor tightness, an injury he sustained when he jumped for Jo Adell’s chopper over the mound.
The left-hander was followed by Greg Weissert (1-2), Tyron Guerrero and Garrett Whitlock, who combined for 4 1/3 hitless innings. Justin Slaten gave up a run in the eighth, and Aroldis Chapman allowed a solo homer to Zach Neto in the ninth before earning his 18th save.
The Angels scored twice in the first on Jorge Soler’s grounder and Adell’s RBI single. Boston tied it 2-all in the second on Duran’s 13th homer, a two-run shot to right-center off starter Ryan Johnson (1-4).
Neto’s RBI double gave the Angels a 3-2 lead in the bottom half, but the Red Sox took advantage of Neto’s major league-leading 14th error to score three unearned runs in the third.
Tsung-Che Cheng led off with a bunt single. Anthony Seigler and Ceddanne Rafaela flied out, and Wilyer Abreu hit a routine grounder to shortstop that should have ended the inning.
Neto bobbled the ball for an error, though, and Contreras crushed Johnson’s next pitch for his 20th homer, a 446-foot shot to left-center that left his bat at 112 mph and gave Boston a 5-3 lead.
The Red Sox tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh on Abreu’s sacrifice fly and Masataka Yoshida’s RBI single for a 7-3 advantage.
The Angels scored in the eighth on Donovan Walton’s double and Adell’s RBI single.
Up next
Red Sox: LHP Payton Tolle (4-6, 3.39 ERA) faces White Sox LHP Noah Schultz (2-5, 5.86) on Tuesday night in Chicago.
Angels: RHP Jose Soriano opposes Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (7-5, 3.48 ERA) on Tuesday night in Texas.
Brazobán, who began the day with a 1.94 ERA, was working with a seven-run lead as he began the final frame. He departed after allowing five earned runs, including a Drake Baldwin grand slam.
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It’s possible that rust — Brazobán was working for the first time in eight days — played a factor.
“There’s waves of usage throughout the season, so guys get used a ton,” interim manager Andy Green said, referring to Brazobán’s 36 appearances.
“He has been used a ton, and then you have stretches where your situation doesn’t arise. He’s a guy that has been ridden all year. He had a gap in the number of times he’s been on the mound. He can handle all that. He’s that type of a pitcher.”
Brazobán allowed four hits and a walk in the ninth. He also committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt that allowed Mauricio Dubón to score. Baldwin’s grand slam was the first homer allowed by Brazobán since June 2.
New York Mets pitcher Huascar Brazoban (43) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“He’s been unbelievable for us all year,” Green said. “His ERA is at [3.00] after what just happened; that just tells you how good he’s been for us all year, and it wasn’t his day out there.”
Williams entered with the Mets ahead 10-8 and struck out Ozzie Albies for the second out. But Matt Olson doubled and Michael Harris II followed with an RBI single. Dubón’s ensuing single — he took second on the throw — put the tying run at third and the winning run at second. Williams then struck out Dominic Smith to end it.
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The Mets received shutdown appearances earlier from Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver, each of whom pitched a scoreless frame. Weaver extended his scoreless streak to 25 innings since May 1.
“There’s a lot of good things to take out of this baseball game,” Green said. “We’re going to take the good out of it.”
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 5: Anthony Seigler #48 of the Boston Red Sox congratulates Jarren Duran #16 after hitting a two run home run against the Los Angeles Angels in the second inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 5, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s another West Coast late start, and I want to go to bed. Unfortunately, I’m bound to my duties as the Sunday recap guy, so we’re going to do another live blog so I can push publish as soon as this bad boy wraps up. Join me for the next three or so hours as I live-react to the Red Sox, the World Cup, and whatever else is going on in Jake-land on this Sunday evening.
8:53 PM: One of my roommates recently moved out, and his room was much bigger than mine, so I moved in today. The only problem is, my dog is terrified of the beeping noise an air conditioner makes, and every time my roommate would walk in here, he would turn on the AC or a space heater, and my dog would run. Now, she doesn’t want to come into this room even though there’s no AC unit set up. The point is, I’m doing this from my new room for the first time, which is exciting for me because I could pretty much touch all four walls at the same time in my old room.
8:56 PM: My neighbors gave me a Rice Krispie treat that may or may not be infused with other ingredients. I’m not normally one to eat special Rice Krispie treats, but tonight feels like it would make for a fun recap.
8:59 PM: My girlfriend said it was a bad idea.
9:04 PM: I shared this document with her, and she told me I should add that she’s always right. She’s not, but I’m telling her that I’m adding it.
9:15 PM: Just learned that Connelly Early is getting a second opinion. You only get a second opinion if you don’t like the first opinion. Gulp.
9:19 PM: It’s going to be very hard for me to flip over to the Red Sox from the World Cup game at 9:30. There’s nothing I’d like to watch more than Mexico get the boot at their home stadium where they never lose.
9:30 PM: Screw it, soccer is staying on the big screen.
9:32 PM: Is my Peacock playing tricks on me or is this game actually starting even later than advertised?
9:36 PM: What is Ryan Johnson doing? How is he throwing 92 mph like that? What a weirdo.
9:37 PM: GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Dos a cero.
9:38 PM: Lots of sports going on, Wilyer Abreu spoils an immaculate inning with an 0-2 foul ball on the ninth pitch of the inning.
9:41 PM: Johnson strikes out the side in the top of the first after a 12-pitch battle with Abreu. Mexico has a free kick in a dangerous position and pulls one back to make it 2-1. Great finish.
9:45 PM: Back-to-back bloop singles give the Angels runners at first and third with nobody out.
9:48 PM: Ranger Suarez strikes out Vaughn Grissom with a curveball for the first out, but Caleb Durbin can’t get a handle on a ground ball to third, and the Angels get a run. 1-0, Angels as Mexico has opportunity after opportunity in front of the England net. What a game.
9:51 PM: Jo Adell singles to center and Ceddanne Rafaela bobbles it twice. Some rough fielding early from the Red Sox put them behind, 2-0.
10:02 PM: Jarren Duran CRUSHES a ball to center field to tie the game. 422 feet. 2-2.
10:03 PM: I really think lefties should be able to hit this guy. He can’t really come inside to lefties, so half the plate is basically eliminated. The second time through the order will be telling.
10:08 PM: The Red Sox thought they turned a 3-6-1 double play, but the Angels challenge, and the call is rightfully reversed. England has a hard time playing out from the back through Mexico’s press. If they can break through, Harry Kane will likely have a chance to make a line-breaking pass. That’s the kind of soccer analysis you don’t get on most baseball blogs.
10:11 PM: Suarez hangs a curveball, and Zack Neto doubles in a run. 3-2, Angels. England has a shot go off the post.
10:14 PM: It’s been 45 minutes, and we’re through two innings. Scorching pace here in Anaheim.
10:15 PM: The referee has been called to the monitor for a possible red card. I think it’s harsh, personally, but when they’re called to the monitor, the call is rarely ever upheld. It’s a red for Jarell Quansah — England will now play with 10 men for 40 minutes.
10:17 PM: Tsung-Che Cheng with a beautiful bunt for a single to begin the inning.
10:20 PM: Great header by Harry Kane to play Anthony Gordon in, who draws the penalty. The Mexican players can’t believe the call, because they’ve never believed they’ve committed a foul in their lives. I hate the Mexican national team, if you can’t tell.
10:21 PM: Zack Neto boots a ground ball at shortstop to give the Red Sox two runners on with two outs.
10:22 PM: Willson Contreras makes them pay for that error by putting the first pitch he sees in the left field seats. 5-3, Red Sox. Harry Kane buries the penalty. 3-1, England.
10:29 PM: We’ve got another VAR check. This time, Mexico looks like they’re going to be awarded a penalty. Jarren Duran strikes out with two runners on, but the Red Sox get three runs in the inning to regain the lead.
10:31 PM: Raul Jimenez converts the penalty. 3-2, England.
10:35 PM: Jo Adell gets an infield single with two outs. That’s the issue with pitching to contact.
10:36 PM: Oh god, Suarez is talking to the trainer and exiting the game. There really is no such thing as too much pitching. We’re gonna be here all night.
10:39 PM: It’s Greg Weissert on in the bottom of the third in place of Suarez.
10:41 PM: He gets the first guy to pop out, and we’re through three innings with the Red Sox leading, 5-3.
10:51 PM: Ceddanne Rafaela is locked in a battle with Johnson and started walking to first base on the 10th pitch of the at-bat. Unfortunately, it was only ball three. He struck out on the next pitch, though he should have challenged the strike three call.
10:53 PM: 11 minutes of added time with England leading by a goal. That’s a lot of added time. England took Harry Kane off for some reason. I’m not sure they know there’s an additional 30 minutes should they concede.
10:59 PM: Greg Weissert retires the Angels in order in the fourth.
11:00 PM: England is defending for their lives, and Mexico is screaming at the referee any time something doesn’t go their way. Three minutes to go.
11:03 PM: I didn’t even notice Jose Fermin took over for Johnson, but he’s got two quick outs in the fifth.
11:05 PM: ENGLAND WINS. SEE YA MEXICO. What a game.
11:08 PM: Tyron Guerrero on in relief of Weissert here in the fifth.
11:10 PM: It was weed in the Rice Krispie treat. I didn’t eat it. I don’t think I would have been able to comprehend both a soccer and baseball game at once if I had, so I’m happy with that decision. Don’t tell my girlfriend that she was right.
11:11 PM: I made a wish, but I will not tell you guys what it was, so don’t even bother asking.
11:15 PM: Guerrero works a scoreless inning. 5-3, Red Sox after five.
11:17 PM: I went to get water, and my dog took the treat bribes I left while I was gone. Apparently she’s not scared of the room but doesn’t want me to know that.
11:19 PM: It’s left adductor tightness for Suarez. If he misses time, Sonny Gray will be the only starting pitcher from the opening day rotation on the active roster.
If Suarez is placed on the IL, that will make Sonny Gray the only starter from the opening day roster still on the active roster. https://t.co/FFSlV73I8O
11:22 PM: Weird play in the sixth. Denzer Guzman bobbled the ball at third, Zack Neto caught it and threw to first to get Carlos Narvaez. In the process, Jarren Duran tried to go first to third and appeared to be caught, but Jose Peraza was called for interference at second base. That all nets to a runner on third with two outs for Cheng.
11:25 PM: Cheng strikes out to end the inning.
11:29 PM: Guerrero quickly gets the Angels to go down, 1-2-3.
11:33 PM: Dave O’Brien is talking about soccer. What kind of lunatic would talk about soccer in baseball content?
11:37 PM: Anthony Seigler and Ceddanne Rafaela with a double steal of second and third. Wilyer Abreu does a good job recognizing the huge jumps and takes the pitch to allow them to advance. Good baseball there.
11:39 PM: Abreu can’t get all the way around the ball, but he muscles it out to center field, and Seigler is able to tag up from third and score. 6-3, Red Sox.
11:39 PM: Willson Contreras almost got hit by a pitch. He did not try to fight anyone. Chants of “sell the team” coming from the outfield.
11:43 PM: Yoshida goes the other way for his third hit of the night. 7-3, Red Sox.
11:46 PM: Durbin strikes out, and the Angels go to a lefty with two outs in the seventh.
11:50 PM: Jarren Duran beats out a broken-bat infield single swinging bunt thing. That was cool.
11:54 PM: Carlos Narvaez strikes out with the bases loaded to end the threat.
11:58 PM: It’s Garrett Whitlock for the bottom of the seventh. I am so tired.
12:01 AM: Happy Monday. Garrett Whitlock got three guys out very quickly. Thanks, Garrett.
12:02 AM: If you read this whole thing, you’re insane, and I appreciate you.
12:06 AM: The Red Sox go quickly in the top of the eighth. Eighth is a weird word to spell. That’s five consonants in a row. I can’t think of many words that have that. In fact, I can’t think of a single other word with five consonants in a row, but I’m far from operating at maximum brain capacity.
12:08 AM: Justin Slaten for the bottom half of the hard-to-spell inning.
12:09 AM: Willson Contreras chased a ball into foul territory and had a nice moment with a Red Sox fan sitting in the front row. Maybe he’s not so scary after all.
12:13 AM: Donovan Walton, whom I have never heard of before today, gets a pinch-hit double with two outs.
12:15 AM: Jo Adell hits a sweeper off the plate down the line; Walton scores. 7-4, Red Sox as Aroldis Chapman begins to stir in the bullpen.
12:16 AM: Wade Meckler, whom I have also not heard of, is now pitching hitting.
12:17 AM: Meckler strikes out to end the inning.
12:22 AM: Went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, et cetera, and came back to two outs in the top of the ninth.
12:24 AM: Here comes Chapman to try to shut the door on the series.
12:27 AM: Caleb Durbin makes a diving stop and throws to first for the out. Willson Contreras stretches and maybe comes off the base, though. I think he held it, but the Angels are challenging.
12:28 AM: Call stands. One down.
12:30 AM: Chapman strikes out Lowe. Two down.
12:31 AM: Zack Neto homers. 7-5, Red Sox.
12:33 AM: Red Sox win! For those of you counting at home, that’s 8 of the last 10. Day off tomorrow before moving on to Chicago to play the White Sox. We couldn’t possibly make a run, could we? I don’t know. But I do know that I’m going to bed. Once again, if you read this whole thing, I appreciate you. It’s 2,000 words of nonsense. Well, actually, it’s 1972 words of nonsense right now. But the official word count really isn’t important, especially because it counts all of my timestamps that aren’t original content. Now it’s 2,000. Goodnight to all.
The Los Angeles Angels announce at a press conference in Anaheim on Saturday, June 27, 2026, that they have hired John Mozeliak, pictured, as interim general manager after firing General...
The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak is ready for it — just not now.
As Mozeliak appeared on MLB Network Radio on Sunday afternoon, he said the Angels aren’t too focused on the trade deadline and are more focused on the MLB draft.
“I have not had any real substantial conversations with clubs … other than what they might be looking for, no names have been exchanged. Nothing like that,” Mozeliak said. “Most of the general managers that have reached out to me over the last week it’s mostly been via text.”
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) July 5, 2026
While Mozeliak said no names have been exchanged, he said once the draft concludes, he expects to hear more from fellow GMs about potential trades.
“In that time we’ll also have a better understanding of where we are, of how we think of this roster and what the market may bear for that,” Mozeliak said. “Because I think that’s the most important part. Obviously, anybody can trade anyone, but it doesn’t really make sense if it’s something that’s not going to have long-term value or change some internal dynamic.”
Angels interim GM John Mozeliak plans to evaluate the roster after the upcoming MLB draft. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The Angels are one of MLB’s most intriguing teams at the deadline because they have multiple players they could sell, including Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers and Jo Adell.
In the past, the Angels have been reluctant to be sellers when the deadline approached because they have held on to prospects for far too long, including in 2023 when former GM Perry Minasian had the chance to trade Shohei Ohtani before he signed with the Dodgers in the offseason.
“My overall take right now is this club is not where we need it to be. We’re not winning baseball games; we’re finding ways to lose instead of win. That can be frustrating for our fans. It can be frustrating for the people that are here every day and for the players,” Mozeliak said. “So we know something has to be done differently.”
It’s been a busy week for the Lakers as they are now ready to fully embrace Doncic as their franchise player after news broke Wednesday that LeBron James informed the Lakers he would not return to the franchise next season.
As the Lakers are preparing for life without James, they’ve been one of the NBA’s more active teams since the offseason began.
With a revamped, youthful roster that doesn’t feature James headlining it, a new era of Lakers basketball is underway.
Doncic is only 27 years old and is entering his prime. He is a six-time All-Star and a two-time scoring champion. Doncic was a vital part in helping the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals in 2024.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 03: Trey Alexander #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans warms up before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on April 03, 2026 in Sacramento, 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 Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
According to Jake Fischer, the Utah Jazz have signed Trey Alexander to a two-way contract.
The Utah Jazz are signing Trey Alexander to a two-way contract, according to league sources. The Creighton product has played for Denver and New Orleans over the past two seasons.
Alexander is a 6’5” guard who played at Creighton. His last two seasons have been with New Orleans and Denver, where he’s played a total of 33 games. His sample size last season is just 9 games, so it’s a small sample size. But those numbers are a solid 51.4% from the field and 50% from three. Again, those are small sample sizes, but his numbers increased since his rookie season, and the hope would be that they could continue to improve.
Utah is in a position now to take chances on players with potential, and if you can find a diamond in the rough, it can be a game-changer. Maybe they get play time and can help the team with depth during the season. Or, if they become a player who can hold their own on the floor, they can either trade them or make other moves that improve the team.
Right now, the Jazz are on a big upward trend. Darryn Peterson looks like the missing piece Utah has been hoping for. The starting unit will go through a lot of changes, but the other things that need to happen are improvements around the edges of the lineups. If Utah can hit on different ancillary moves, it can extend the current era much longer. Jazz fans can only hope that one of these two-way contracts ends up being a contributing addition to the team. If they do, it gives a team an edge that can take them over the top.
After recording just five outs Monday — and at some point being afflicted by a teamwide stomach bug or bout of food poisoning — Weathers had another short start in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Twins as he was yanked after four-plus 4.0innings.
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The lefty said afterwards that he threw up several times during the game, as he tried to “gut out” the issue.
But he was charged with four earned runs and put runners in scoring position in all but one of the innings he appeared in.
“Credit to him, under the weather today, and still went out there and battled,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game.
“I thought his stuff was really good, as good a change-up as I’ve seen from him, a ton of swing-and-miss with that pitch,” he continued, before conceding that Minnesota “battled him throughout to make it challenging all day.”
Weathers did record six strikeouts but didn’t fully bounce back from a difficult start to the game.
Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers (40) throws a pitch during the first inning when the New York Yankees played the Minnesota Twins Sunday, July 5, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
A leadoff double from Minnesota’s Austin Martin set the tone for the pitcher’s day (and helped the Twins grab a 1-0 lead soon after), and Weathers was ultimately pulled after beaning Luke Keaschall and walking Martin in the fifth inning.
“I wanna do well for the team and try to win the ballgame,” Weathers said afterwards. “And it just didn’t happen today.”
Weathers got up to 88 pitches — and one was a wild pitch that moved Royce Lewis to second and allowed him to score on shortly after a Brooks Lee single to left.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) pulls New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers (40) from the game during the fourth inning when the New York Yankees played the Minnesota Twins Sunday, July 5, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
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The 26-year-old, in his sixth MLB season, is well on his way to blowing past his career high of 94 ²/₃ innings from his rookie season in San Diego.
And that mileage won’t make things any easier for a pitcher who has already been sliding over the last couple of months.
His ERA had dropped to a flat 3.00 on May 11 after a two-run, 6 ¹/₃-inning start against the Orioles. That figure is now 4.29 after this latest Yankees defeat, in which boos later rang down for relievers Paul Blackburn and Camilo Doval after the bleeding continued.
Weathers will likely pitch next in the back end of the Rays series or against the Nationals, and neither of those spots is massively favorable for a pitcher trying to get back on track.
Two hours after the conclusion of the Women’s T20 World Cup final in London, Australian captain Sophie Molineux emerged from the Lord’s dressing room and poured a bottle of beer on her head.
