Australian beats Benjamin Bonzi 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No 59, or Arthur Fery
Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just.
With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the evening sky, smiled and pointed to his heart.
From left, Dodgers Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith were voted to start in this year's MLB All-Star Game. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Poised to set a record for player popularity and elite production, the Dodgers had eight finalists for the National League starting lineup in the 2025 All-Star Game as voted by fans.
Voters had 48 hours to choose between the two players at each position who had accumulated the most votes over the last month in what MLB called Phase 1. Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani already was in the starting lineup because he led NL players in Phase 1 votes.
The record of five starting players held by the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, the 1956 and 1957 Cincinnati Redlegs, and the 1939 New York Yankees still stands. The Dodgers fell short, despite the bevy of finalists.
It is the ninth All-Star berth for Freeman, who is batting .308 with 21 doubles, and the third for Smith, who leads the NL with a .320 batting average and .419 on-base percentage. Both players have 10 home runs.
Eleven-time All-Star Mike Trout was the only Angels player among the American League finalists, and he did not finish among the top three outfielders in Phase 2. Thousand Oaks High product and Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson was voted the AL starter at shortstop, beating out Bobby Witt Jr.
Finalists not voted as starters have no guarantee of making the All-Star Game as a reserve. Pitchers and reserves for the 32-man rosters will be determined by a vote of MLB players and the commissioner’s office.
Complete rosters of 20 position players and 12 pitchers will be announced at 2 p.m. PDT Sunday on ESPN. The All-Star Game will take place July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta. Managers Dave Roberts of the Dodgers and Aaron Boone of the Yankees have no say in the selections.
Before the Dodgers faced the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, Roberts did say he hoped the number of All-Stars from his team would increase.
"I think they've all had great first halves, and it's great to know that three guys are starting," he said. "And so hopefully we get a couple, two or three more. Really, good, really good."
The teams that boasted a record five starters included Hall of Famers and also lesser-known players.
The '39 Yankees had All-Star starters Joe DiMaggio, George Selkirk, Bill Dickey, Red Rolfe and Joe Gordon. Red Ruffing was named the starting pitcher by manager Joe McCarthy, making the '39 Yankees the only team with six starting players.
The most recent team to land five All-Star starters was the '76 Cincinnati Reds, known as the Big Red Machine, led by future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. Pete Rose, Dave Concepción and George Foster also started.
The Reds were called the Redlegs from 1953 to 1959 because of a period of intense anti-communism in the U.S. To distance themselves from the Red Scare, the Reds temporarily changed their name.
Cincinnati fans loved their team by any name, casting a deluge of last-minute votes two years in a row that eventually required intervention from MLB commissioner Ford Frick and caused MLB to eliminate fan voting for more than a decade.
Frick stood by the voting in '56 despite complaints that five Redlegs were voted in, saying, "Everybody had a chance to vote, so there should be no squawks.”
A year later he changed his tune when last-minute voting — remember, all votes were handwritten and manually tabulated — resulted in an all-Redlegs lineup. Frick swiftly stepped in and replaced three Redlegs with future Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.
Redlegs fans were incensed, some making an effigy of the commissioner and driving it through Cincinnati tied to a truck. The reaction from players was more muted, with Redlegs center fielder Gus Bell saying, "I’m not exactly burned up about being replaced by Willie."
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6, 2.51 earned-run average) of the Dodgers is a strong candidate to make the NL pitching staff. At least one Angels player must be chosen as a reserve or pitcher, and the nod could go to Trout, who has 13 home runs but is batting .230.
Other possibilities for the resurgent Angels are catcher Logan O'Hoppe (17 home runs), shortstop Zach Neto (12 home runs, team-high 2.7 WAR), outfielder Jo Adell (18 homers, 44 runs batted in) and starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (2.79 ERA in 96.2 innings).
MLB All-Star Starting Lineups
National League C: Will Smith, Dodgers 1B: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers 2B: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks SS: Francisco Lindor, Mets 3B: Manny Machado, Padres OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs OF: Kyle Tucker, Cubs OF: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves DH: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
American League C: Cal Raleigh, Mariners 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays 2B: Gleyber Torres, Tigers SS: Jacob Wilson, Athletics 3B: Jose Ramirez, Guardians OF: Aaron Judge, Yankees OF: Riley Greene, Tigers OF: Javier Baez, Tigers DH: Ryan O'Hearn, Orioles
Times staff writer Kevin Baxter contributed to this story.
The Buffalo Sabres made a pair of trades during and after the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles that opened up more cap space in advance of the beginning of free agency on July 1, but the club did not make any kind of splash as the market opened on Tuesday, re-signing three players on multi-year extensions and signing free agent winger Justin Danforth and goalie Alex Lyon to two-year deals.
Danforth had 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in 61 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season and signed for an AAV of $1.8 million, while Lyon, who went 14-9-1, with a 2.81 GAA and .896 save % in Detroit last season signed for $1.5 million per season.
“(Lyon is) a proven goaltender, ” Sabres GM Kevyn Adams said on Wednesday. “I think he's a really good veteran. A high character guy. He's proven in the league. He's played well in his time in the National Hockey League. He's going to challenge and push. We just think he helps us win hockey games.”
Danforth is expected to play a fourth line role, replacing Sam Lafferty, who was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. Lyon, 32, will be in the mix to challenge for playing time behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and with youngster Devon Levi. Luukkonen, who did not have much of a threat to his starting role after Levi was demoted to Rochester early last season, had a subpar campaign (24-24-5, 3.20 GAA, .887 save %) in the first year of a five-year deal.
Levi, a restricted free agent this summer, still has an exemption to waivers that will allow him to be demoted to AHL Rochester next season. If Levi plays well in training camp and earns a roster spot, it is likely that the Sabres will carry three goalies on their NHL roster, as they did at the start of the 2023-24 season with Luukkonen, Levi, and Eric Comrie.
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NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor was dropped from the leadoff spot Wednesday night with the New York Mets in a major tailspin.
After making 191 consecutive starts at the top of the lineup, Lindor was listed in the No. 2 hole as the designated hitter for the second game of a day-night doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and their rookie sensation, hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski.
The slumping Lindor went 0 for 4 as New York mustered only two hits during a 7-2 loss in the opener, leaving him 2 for 29 with one walk in his past seven games. He is 8 for 60 (.133) in 15 games since June 15 and his batting average has plummeted from .289 with an .858 OPS on June 7 to .255 with a .766 OPS through Game 1 of the twinbill.
Brandon Nimmo was bumped up to leadoff, a role he was accustomed to before Mets manager Carlos Mendoza moved Lindor from third in the order to first in May 2024, citing the success the switch-hitter enjoyed atop the lineup earlier in his career with Cleveland.
The move led to Lindor breaking out of a prolonged slump and the Mets taking off following a miserable start. The star shortstop finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP last year, and New York made a surprise playoff run before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Lindor and the Mets both got out of the gate much better this season, but New York (48-38) had lost four straight and 14 of 17 heading into the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is going to Atlanta. No, not to take on the Braves but to participate in the All-Star Game.
Lindor was named the starting shortstop for the National League All-Star team on Wednesday, an honor determined by fan voting. This is the fifth time Lindor has been named to the Midsummer Classic, but it's the first as a starter and as a member of the Mets.
The Mets shortstop has had a solid year. He entered the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader slashing .255/.324/.442 with an OPS of .766 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI as the team's leadoff man. Lindor beat out Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts for the honor.
Wednesday's announcement feels like a long time coming for Lindor. In 2023, he infamously missed out on being a reserve when his peers selected the Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo for that spot. Last season, Trea Turner won the starting gig with CJ Abrams, Elly De La Cruz and Betts being named reserves. Lindor went on to be named runner-up for the NL MVP award that year.
Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was a finalist this year but was beat out by the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman.
This is as good a free agent center signing as the Lakers were going to make — he's the best available free agent center and a good fit on paper. Getting Ayton to live up to how good he looks on paper and not to be a disruptive force has been a challenge at all his stops.
Ayton averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game last season in Portland, and a couple of seasons ago in Phoenix averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds a game. On offense, when focused, he is a very good fit as the kind of big man who thrives next to Luka Doncic as a rim-runner and lob threat (34.4% of his shots last season came at the rim and he shot 82% on them), plus he has a silky midrange jumper from his spots on the floor.
— Portland Trail Blazers Philippines (@trailblazersph) March 10, 2024
Defensively, he is a big body in the paint, but not a great shot blocker (averaging one block per game last season).
The challenge with Ayton has always been getting him to live up to that potential on paper.
Ayton has had fellow teammates and basketball staff call him "immature," someone overconfident in his contributions despite "inconsistent effort" (often, but not always, off the record). He is seen as a diva, something Jason Quick detailed recently in a story at The Athletic.
"The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort."
Ayton can't bring that attitude or effort level into the Lakers building — this is LeBron's locker room, and he has built a Hall of Fame career entering its 23rd season based on being prepared and bringing it every night. Doncic will count on him to bring it every night and not be a distraction. Coach J.J. Redick is a younger, former player head coach who can connect with players, which could help in this case. If that trio can all keep Ayton focused — if a team just buying him out rattles his cage a little bit — this will be a terrific signing for the Lakers.
The Lakers are betting they can get the best out of Ayton. They are also doing it on an affordable contract.
Ayton has agreed to a two-year, $16.6 million contract with Los Angeles. The Lakers can afford it because Ayton will take up the approximately $8.3 million remaining in the Lakers' mid-level exception (the other part of it went to Jake LaRavia). This season, the on-paper pay cut from $35 million a season won't impact Ayton because he's still receiving all of it from his buyout from the Trail Blazers (the amount the Lakers pay him will be discounted from that number). However, next season he can opt out and test the market, or re-sign with the Lakers.
How all of that goes will depend on how this season goes, and how close Ayton comes to living up to his on-paper potential.
ATLANTA — Braves right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach broke his right elbow during a start last weekend and was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday as left fielder Jurickson Profar returned from an 80-game drug suspension and slumping outfielder Alex Verdugo was designated for assignment.
Schwellenbach said he felt tightness while pitching for Atlanta against Philadelphia on Saturday, when he threw 90 pitches. He allowed one run and three hits over seven innings.
He felt sore the following day and imaging Monday revealed a small fracture at the top of the elbow. Schwellenbach said he was told this was a freak accident and said he hopes to be back this season.
A 25-year-old in his second big league season, Schwellenbach is 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA and leads the Braves in wins, WHIP (0.967) and innings (110 2/3). He has won six of his last seven decisions.
Atlanta's rotation already was missing Chris Sale (broken rib), AJ Smith-Shawver (Tommy John surgery) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder surgery).
"We’re pushing young guys all the time, and may end up that we have to do it again," Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Schwellenbach was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sunday.
Right-hander Daysbel Hernández, sidelined from the Braves since June 4 by right forearm inflammation, finished his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett and was activated from the 15-day IL. Left-hander Austin Cox was recalled from the Stripers and right-hander Kevin Herget optioned to Gwinnett.
Profar returned after an 80-game suspension announced March 31 following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in violation of the league’s joint drug prevention and treatment program. He missed 93 days, causing him to lose exactly half his $12 million salary. He is ineligible for the postseason.
“I’m responsible,” said Profar, who addressed his teammates Wednesday. “There’s there’s no excuses. I’m responsible for what goes into my body.”
The 32-year-old was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger last season when he batted .280 and set career highs with 24 homers and 85 RBIs for San Diego. He signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves in the offseason.
In his absence, Braves left fielders entered Wednesday last in the major leagues with two home runs and a .523 OPS.
Verdugo agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract late in spring training. The 29-year-old made his big league season debut on April 18 and hit .239 with no homers and 12 RBIs in 56 games.
The Buffalo Sabres did not make much of a splash on the opening day of free agency on Tuesday, with the most impactful signing being the two-year contract for goaltender Alex Lyon and the re-signing of center Ryan McLeod to a long-term extension. The item that was the most newsworthy was a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger, that clubs interested in restricted free agent Bowen Byram are contemplating an offer sheet.
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams met with the media during Day 3 of the club’s Development Camp at LECOM Harborcenter on Wednesday and indicated that he is open to bringing back the 23-year-old blueliner, who is two years away from unrestricted free agency on a short- or long-term deal, and is open to a hockey deal bringing back NHL players, but that he would match an offer sheet if it were tabled by another club.
“The moves we've made and the position we've put ourselves in, from the cap perspective, has been strategic.” Adams said. “If you leave just enough room in your cap, maybe where you see a projection on a one year deal and someone comes over the top, you're potentially putting your organization in a really tough spot. So the moves we’ve made and the decisions we've made for weeks now leading up to this point (have been) with that in mind. So we'll be matching and have the opportunity to have a player under contract who we think helps us win.”
Dreger indicated that trade conversations have taken place between the Sabres and the Calgary Flames, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, and St. Louis Blues for Byram, who scored 38 points last season. After the trade of defenseman K’Andre Miller to Carolina on Tuesday and unrestricted free agents Vladislav Gavrikov and Ivan Provorov signing seven-year contracts with the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, the availability for a legitimate top-four defenseman has shrunk to Byram, and Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson, putting Adams in a position to exact the price he’s looking for or bringing back him back on a short-term deal.
“We believe Bo is an excellent hockey player that can help our team win,” Adams said, “I've maintained the same position that if there's a deal out there that makes sense for us that we think is going to improve our roster we're open to it. If there's not, we're not in a situation where we're looking to move him out or looking to move him for futures and stuff like that, for me we want to help our team win hockey games and he helps us do that.”
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The Philadelphia Flyers were the one team that won as much as it lost on Day 1 of NHL Free Agency.
Entering free agency with three needs - a goalie, a center, and a seventh defenseman - the Flyers got to work and took care of business in record time, but at what cost?
Forward Christian Dvorak, expected to take over as the fourth-line center for at least one year, agreed to a one-year deal worth an egregious $5.4 million, making him the fifth-highest-paid forward on the Flyers' roster behind only Trevor Zegras, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, and Owen Tippett.
Now, term was a big part of the deal for the Flyers so as to avoid locking themselves into undesirable future roadblocks for younger players, which drove Dvorak's price upwards, as well as bids from other teams.
But other centers with NHL experience, such as Curtis Lazar, Philipp Kurashev, and Lars Eller, all signed one-year deals with new teams worth no more than $1.25 million.
Lazar, like Dvorak, has played for Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet before. Injuries and adapting to a new coach limited Lazar to just five points in 48 games with New Jersey this season, but last year, he had 25 points in 71 games.
For his efforts, the 30-year-old, a prime bounce-back candidate, signed with Edmonton for one-year and $775k.
Piggybacking off that, new Flyers goalie Dan Vladar was by far the most expensive netminder to come off the market Tuesday, signing a two-year, $6.7 million ($3.35 million AAV) with Philadelphia that included an eight-team no-trade list in both years.
Veteran Anton Forsberg, who signed with Los Angeles for two years at $2.25 million a year, was 11-12-3 last season with a 2.72 GAA, a .901 save percentage, and three shutouts. He was also the only goalie, other than Vladar, to pull in a cap hit north of $1.5 million.
Vladar was comparatively similar but slightly worse, going 12-11-6 with a 2.80 GAA, a .898 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Vladar is 27 and younger than the 32-year-old Forsberg, but does that make up the $1 million difference in cap hit? And, if Vladar isn't a long-term option as a starter or backup, does the age matter at all?
Indeed, much of this is insignificant with the Flyers being a fringe playoff team at best next season, but what is significant is that they have $4.6 million to find a solution to re-sign Cam York, be it a long-term deal or short.
The Flyers insist on not using LTIR to create emergency cap space for themselves, but with Tyson Foerster's status up in the air for opening night, they are pushing the envelope to the fullest, especially in the event further injuries occur during the season.
Speaking of defensemen, journeymen Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert give the Flyers, including York and excluding Rasmus Ristolainen, eight defensemen on the active roster.
One of those eight won't make the roster, and this doesn't account for someone like Helge Grans or Oliver Bonk, who will both be pushing for spots to fill in for Ristolainen.
Looking ahead, the Flyers have one retention slot open to hold onto some salary, with Andrei Kuzmenko off their books and Kevin Hayes and Scott Laughton still on for one more year.
If they want to use that slot to its maximum potential, either in a three-team deal (i.e. Noah Hanifin trade) or retaining salary on one of their own players, they'll have to manage the salary cap extra carefully until Foerster and/or Ristolainen return.
And just imagine how complicated things would have been if they landed Maxim Shabanov.
These free agency signings all address the needs to the Flyers sought out to address, but the relatively poor value of these signings puts the Flyers at high risk of finding themselves in adverse positions for what they want to do later in the season.
It came a day later than scheduled, butSean Manaea was back on the mound in another rehab start for Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday.
The Mets' southpaw tossed three-plus innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits, one walk and striking out three batters. Manaea allowed a run in the first off a Kyle Karros single, then a Nic Kent single in the second inning that was aided by a throwing error by Jett Williams. The third run came in the third after a leadoff triple was brought in on a one-out single by Charlie Condon.
Manaea came out to start the fourth inning but walked the leadoff man on seven pitches before he was pulled.
Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said that they expected Manaea to throw 45-50 pitches and the left-hander eclipsed that, tossing 60 pitches (39 strikes) against the Hartford Yard Goats. The extra length is likely due to Manaea's originally scheduled Tuesday start being postponed due to weather.
Mendoza confirmed that Manaea's next rehab start will be next Tuesday, in what is likely to be his final outing in the minors before being called up to join the Mets rotation.
Although Manaea's start on Wednesday wasn't perfect, it's encouraging to see him on the mound. This was his first rehab start since an elbow issue forced the pitcher to receive a cortisone shot.
Sean Manaea went three-plus innings and threw 60 pitches in a rehab outing for Double-A Binghamton today.
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues picked up middle of the lineup center they were hoping to get.
Multiple reports had the Blues signing Pius Suter to a two-year contract worth $8.25 million ($4.125 million average annual value). The team confirmed the signing.
The 29-year-old, who set career highs in goals (25) and points (46) with the Vancouver Canucks last season in 81 games, will fill a void the Blues obviously needed in the middle of the lineup as a 2C/3C with Brayden Schenn. He is an exceptional defensive center with excellent penalty kill skills who just so happened to create offense off his defense a season ago and parlayed them into scoring chances, thus setting career highs in goals and points:
Pius Suter, signed 2x$4M by STL, is an intelligent shut-down scoring centre who transcends his lack of size and especially speed to prevent chances against. Creates a lot of goals and scoring chances by getting to the slot and finding space. #STLBluespic.twitter.com/MNJpPix0AH
With the addition of Suter, the Blues now have Robert Thomas, Schenn, Suter, Oskar Sundqvist and Nick Bjugstad, who St. Louis signed to a two-year, $3.5 million ($1.75 million AAV) free agent contract on Tuesday from the Utah Mammoth, to utilize down the middle of the ice.
Remember last season, when Suter scored a third-period hat trick against the Blues? And look where he scored those goals: around the net and slot area. Blues coach Jim Montgomery is going to love this.
It was no secret that the Blues were in the market for a middle man, and when Sam Bennett came off the board and re-signed with the Florida Panthers and Mikael Granlund signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks for $7 million AAV, it was apparent the Blues were not going to get to those numbers.
But this is a low-risk, high-reward contract the Blues could fit into their salary cap, and they'll be fine when they place Torey Krug ($6.5 million AAV) on long-term injured-reserve and once Nick Leddy ($4 million AAV) either is picked up or clears waivers Thursday.
Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton, getting fouled by Dalton Knecht during a game last season, has agreed to terms with the Lakers. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers finally got a center they have so desperately needed when they agreed to a deal with Deandre Ayton, according to people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The Lakers were able to get Ayton after he received a buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers of his $35-million contract, giving up about $10-million, according to reports. That opened the door for the Lakers to get Ayton for about $9 million this upcoming season after he cleared waivers Wednesday, according to people familiar with the deal.
Ayton averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds over 30.2 minutes per game for the Trail Blazers last season. But he played in only 40 games, missing every game after the All-Star break because of a calf injury.
At 26 and 7-foot, Ayton fills a need for the Lakers because of his age, size and athleticism.
After the Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Mavericks last season for Luka Doncic, the team was left with only Jaxson Hayes at center. Hayes was inefficient in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing his starting job after playing in the first four games.
When the free-agency period started Monday afternoon, the Lakers didn’t have a center on their roster, which they now have in Ayton.
The Lakers had been linked to free-agent centers Brook Lopez, who agreed to a deal with the Clippers, and Clint Capela, who agreed to a deal with the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers had more money to spend on Ayton because Dorian Finney-Smith declined his $15.3 million option with L.A. and agreed to a deal with the Houston Rockets for $53 million over four years.
Ayton was the first overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA draft, two spots ahead of Doncic, who was selected third by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to the Mavericks.
The Lakers see Ayton as a lob threat alongside Doncic, which worked well in Phoenix when Chris Paul was throwing lobs to Ayton when they reached the NBA Finals.
The Lakers feel good about the addition of Ayton because they got younger, more mobile and more athletic.
Also, the Lakers were able to maintain significant salary-cap flexibility going forward and are projected to have $60 million in cap space next July.
The Lakers aren't done, as they will continue to monitor the league for roster upgrades through trades and other free agents.
PHOENIX — As Wednesday’s game got into extra innings, Bob Melvin started managing as if it was a playoff game. Given how the last week has gone, it might as well have been.
Camilo Doval pitched two innings for the first time in three years, closing out a 6-5 win in the 10th a few minutes after he blew the save in the ninth. It was a marathon outing from Doval, but the Giants didn’t have many options left and desperately needed to snap their four-game losing streak.
With the tying run on third in the bottom of the 10th, Doval struck out Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas. The usually calm closer screamed as he hopped off the mound.
The Giants jumped ahead early on Tuesday and then shut it down. On Wednesday, they again looked energetic early. Mike Yastrzemski hit a leadoff homer, giving him three in the last nine games, and Jung Hoo Lee added an RBI triple in the first. Rafael Devers made it 3-0 with a hard single in the top of the fifth.
The Diamondbacks cut the deficit to one, but Patrick Bailey and Brett Wisely brought insurance runs home in the top of the eighth. That would be crucial, as an error led to a third Diamondbacks run in the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, the comeback was completed.
Geraldo Perdomo led off with a single and Ketel Marte — who was named an All-Star starter earlier in the day — smoked a hanging slider from Doval into the seats in right, tying the game.
Bailey’s sac fly put the Giants back on top in the 10th. Having already used all of his trusted high-leverage arms, Melvin sent Doval back out for a second inning.
Back In Black
The Giants have started to wear their black road jerseys on occasion. Lee might ask that they do it the rest of this trip, even in the Sacramento heat this weekend.
He followed the triple with a double his next time up, giving him his first multi-hit game since June 4. When he later got an infield single, he had his first three-hit game since May 6.
Lee had been hitless on the road trip (0-for-14), but hitting coach Pat Burrell was encouraged by his swings in recent days and felt better days were coming. He came up a cycle shy of the cycle, hitting a deep fly ball in his final at-bat.
Lee’s prolonged slump might be the biggest reason for the team’s overall offensive dip. The Giants want him at the top of the order, but he hit just .143 in June.
Back Where It Started
Landen Roupp won a big league job in Arizona last spring, and during his two months in the desert this spring, he won a rotation spot. He hasn’t given it up, and he’ll take a 3.48 ERA into the final week of the first half.
Wednesday’s outing was a mixed bag. Roupp was sharp early, but he gave up a solo shot to Thomas in the fifth and then walked a pair. He left with the bases loaded, but Erik Miller got him out of the jam, leaving Roupp with just two runs on his line. He walked four, struck out four and allowed five hits.
Bounceback
Miller’s last outing helped lead to a no-decision for Justin Verlander, but he came up huge in a tight spot Wednesday. He entered with the bags full, no outs and the heart of the lineup coming up, but the Diamondbacks sent rookie Tim Tawa up for the left-handed Pavin Smith and Miller struck him out. Josh Naylor hit a sacrifice fly, but Miller struck out the dangerous Eugenio Suarez to limit the damage.
Some of Miller’s peripheral numbers are concerning, and given his walk rate, the dugout couldn’t have felt comfortable when he went 2-0 on Tawa to start his night. But he continues to get results, and that’s all that matters. He has a 1.50 ERA through 36 appearances.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Devils announced the center signed a two-year contract worth $5,000,000, with an annual average value of $2,500,000. The contract breakdown is as follows: 2025-26: $2,500,000 & 2026-27: $2,500,000. The announcement was made by President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald.
"I wanted to stay (in New Jersey) the whole time," Glass told reporters. "I am glad it got done."
The Devils acquired the 26-year-old on March 7, 2025, from the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Jonathan Gruden for Chase Stillman, Max Graham, and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Through 14 regular-season games, Glass collected seven points (two goals, five assists). He finished the 2024-25 season with a face-off win percentage of 47.4%, winning 64 of 135 draws.
Entering the postseason, the Winnipeg native only had three games of playoff experience between the Vegas Golden Knights and Nashville Predators. During his media availability on Wednesday, The Hockey News asked Glass what his takeaway was from New Jersey's Round 1 series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
"Only having three (games) and then going to a series in Carolina, which is a pretty tough building to play in, was a great experience," Glass said. "Obviously, I wish it could have gone a lot better. It is something that I think about all the time, but I think it is something that is going to drive me this summer. We want to get back to that point, but we want to do a lot better and advance. I think it was a good step in the right direction for me, and it is something I can learn from."
In addition to Glass returning to New Jersey, Fitzgerald signed unrestricted free agents Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov and re-signed goaltender Jake Allen.
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The latest Montreal Canadiens’ UFAs weren't the only former Habs to change teams yesterday. A pair of long-gone Canadiens landed in intriguing new markets with interesting new contracts.
Since making the Stanley Cup Final with the Canadiens in 2021, offensive defenseman Jeff Petry has struggled to find his form. When the Habs traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2022 offseason, he probably had hope that things would fall into place quickly on a team featuring the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, but that’s not what happened, far from it. The very next offseason, the Penguins traded him back to Montreal in a package that netted them Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick.
Hughes then sent him to the Detroit Red Wings for Gustav Lindstrom and a fourth-round pick at the 2025 draft. A Michigan native, Petry was ecstatic to be going home, but his two-season stint with the Wings was great, too; he put up 32 points in 117 games and became a UFA on July 1.
Even though he’s now 37 years old, Petry wasn’t ready to retire, but given his recent performances, he didn’t have that many suitors. Ultimately, he signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers. The deal has a base salary of $775,000 but includes several performance bonuses. The veteran would like to win a Stanley Cup before retiring, and he has decided to bet on the repeat Champions achieving a three-peat next season.
As for Jonathan Drouin, after a disastrous stay in Montreal in which he struggled with mental health issues, he joined the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent on a one-year deal with an AAV of $825,000. After a convincing first season in which he scored 56 points in 79 games, Colorado signed him to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.
Due to injuries, the Quebecer was only able to play in 43 games this season, but he still managed to put up 37 points, averaging 0.86 points per game. Still, Drouin found himself a UFA on July 1st, and he was signed to a two-year pact with a $4 M cap hit by the New York Islanders.
In Long Island, Drouin will find QMJHL rival Anthony Duclair and coach Patrick Roy, whom he gave nightmares to in the juniors. We wish both Drouin and Petry the best of luck with their new team.
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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