On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Framber Valdez threw seven quality innings and Jeremy Pena homered and drove in four as the visiting Houston Astros earned a 9-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.
Valdez (2-4) allowed just one run on three hits while striking out seven and walking two. Yainer Diaz drove in two runs for the Astros, who salvaged a win in the series.
Quinn Priester (1-1) surrendered three runs (one earned) on three hits in his five-inning stint, striking out three and walking three. Eric Haase's solo home run in the fifth inning accounted for the entirety of the Brewers' scoring, as the club saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
Priester retired the first five Houston batters he faced before Jake Meyers reached on a two-out single in the second and Zach Dezenzo laced a run-scoring double to left to give Houston an early 1-0 edge.
After Dezenzo's walk began the top of the fifth, Brendan Rodgers reached on an error and Chas McCormick's sacrifice bunt advanced both runners. From there, Brewers' third baseman Vinny Capra threw home on Pena's ground ball, but Dezenzo slid around the tag to give Houston a 2-0 lead. The Astros then tacked on with Haase's passed ball, pushing the Brewers' deficit to three runs.
Milwaukee finally got to Valdez with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, as Haase launched a 425-foot solo homer -- his second of the season -- cutting Houston's lead to 3-1.
Elvin Rodriguez replaced Priester in the sixth, issuing consecutive walks to Meyers and Dezenzo before retiring Rodgers and McCormick. With two outs, Pena turned on a first-pitch fastball for his fifth home run of the season, giving the Astros a 6-1 advantage.
In relief of Valdez, Bryan Abreu worked a perfect, six-pitch bottom of the eighth.
Rodriguez surrendered Pena's leadoff double in the top of the ninth, followed by Jose Altuve's single and Isaac Paredes' RBI single. Two batters later, Diaz doubled in Altuve and Paredes to give Houston a 9-1 lead.
Josh Hader pitched the ninth for Houston, working around Isaac Collins' walk and Rhys Hoskins' double to secure the victory.
More must-reads:
- Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
- All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
- The 'Multiple 100-RBI MLB seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
After years of speculation and nothing materializing, the New York Yankees have at last acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman. Pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz are headed to the Mile High City in return. They were the number eight and 21st-ranked prospects in the Yankees' farm system, per MLB.com. Given the Yankees' struggles at the third-base position over the last few years, bringing in a guy who was an All-Star in 2024 and will be much more reliable is a win. Former MLB player and current analyst Cameron Maybin certainly believes that, as he was pushing the McMahon-to-New York narrative over the last week and feels it could be a great fit for both sides. "The third baseman they need plays in Colorado...I'm telling you! Defensively more than adequate and Taylor made for the ballpark offensively," Maybin wrote on social media. Maybin went on to mention how McMahon will feel reinvigorated joining a World Series contender like the Yankees after the last six-and-a-half years of being at the bottom in Colorado. The 30-year-old is not having his best season, slugging 16 home runs and 35 RBI with a .217 average through 100 games with the Rockies, per MLB.com stats. However, he's consistently been a 20-plus home run hitter who drives in runs at a strong rate and has a large sample size of doing so. Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez (.252 average, 36 HRs, 86 RBI) has seemed to be No. 1 target for most teams, and for good reason, but given the Yankees' current situation and weaknesses, McMahon made more sense. Not only does he play a better third base, which New York desperately needs, but he has another two years of control after 2025, whereas Suarez would have been a rental. The acquisition cost was nothing crazy, and adding a lefty bat with some power to potentially take advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium is always a bonus. Some may not be satisfied until they see McMahon positively impacting the New York Yankees, but rest assured, this is a very solid pickup.
WNBA Legend Lisa Leslie Had Three Words for Angel Reese After Sky’s 16th Loss
Now in her second WNBA season, Angel Reese is averaging a league‑leading 12.5 rebounds along with 13.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She recently returned from a midseason leg injury and immediately picked up where she left off, posting her 16th double‑double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) on Tuesday night even as her Chicago Sky fell, 91-68, to the Minnesota Lynx. Then, on Wednesday, Reese showcased her brand power on Instagram, posting a pregame photo dressed head‑to‑toe in Gucci with the caption, "Don’t worry about me… life is GUCCI @gucci #guccipartner." The image quickly lit up her feed and drew an immediate response from one of the game’s all‑time greats, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, who commented, “Yessss it is❤️." Despite flashes of elite play, the Sky have struggled mightily through 23 games, standing at just 7-16 and sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. Their 77.6 points per game rank 12th in the WNBA, and opponents are torching them for 86.5 a night (11th in the league). With head coach Tyler Marsh searching for consistency, every bright spot has been a welcome reprieve for a franchise that won the title as recently as 2021. Front and center among Chicago’s bright spots is Reese. Off the court, Reese has quickly built a burgeoning portfolio of endorsement deals, including Reebok, Calvin Klein, Beats by Dre, Amazon and now Gucci, underscoring her status as one of the WNBA’s brightest personalities. On the other side, you have Leslie, whose voice carries more weight than arguably anybody in women’s basketball. A three‑time league MVP, two‑time WNBA champion and Finals MVP and eight‑time All‑Star, Leslie helped define the league’s early years with the Los Angeles Sparks, including driving home the first dunk in WNBA history in 2002. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer (Class of 2015), she remains a global ambassador for the sport.
Warriors' Stephen Curry believes NBA players are 'underpaid'
Are NBA players underpaid? Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry argues yes. The greatest shooter in NBA history said Thursday on Complex’s “360 With Speedy” that because the league’s current CBA doesn’t allow for current players to invest in league and team equity, players are leaving money on the table. “I would say, yes, we are underpaid,” Curry admitted when asked, despite enormous salaries, if the players were getting short-changed, “because you wanna be able to participate in that rise [of equity].” “It’s a partnership with ownership, [and] it’s a partnership with the league,” the 37-year-old stressed, revealing that league salaries do not reflect players’ impact on team valuations. If anyone has the right to begrudge the current CBA on player participation in equity, it’s Curry. When drafted in 2009, the Warriors were worth $315 million. Current valuations in May of 2025 have the team at $9.4 billion, the most in the league. Curry’s been paid handsomely during his time in Golden State, and he doesn’t overlook it. “I know we’re blessed to be in a position where we’re playing basketball for a living, and these are the type of checks that people are earning,” he told Complex. However, when he signed his $62.6 million one-year extension in 2024 that would keep him in a Warriors’ jersey until 2027, many felt that no amount of money the franchise could offer him would represent his worth. Curry had an undeniable impact on the Warriors’ valuation increasing by nearly 3,000%. He’s benefited by being the most salaried player on the roster and plenty of endorsement deals. But is he getting his fair share? Something similar may happen with reigning NBA Finals MVP and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just signed the richest contract in league history with an average annual value of $71.25 million. According to Forbes, the Thunder’s valuation increased 20% from 2023 to 2024 and will likely take another jump after this year’s championship. Curry concedes that player participation in equity isn’t a simple concept and not all markets are created equal: “You got competitive advantage considerations…and want every market to have a fair chance, like I get all that.” He believes, however, that finding a solution is a “mutually beneficial proposition” for players, teams and the league. Even the most expensive people in the world need to find other investors to make owning an NBA team possible. The best example of Curry’s point is the Boston Celtics sale in March. The most-championed franchise in league history was sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion, the largest ever sports franchise sale in North America at the time. Chisholm needed Rob Hale, Bruce Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street, to afford the purchase. Because team ownership is already a multi-investor operation, the league could potentially come to an agreement with the players by the next CBA negotiation at the end of the decade. If not, the league's best players will continue to simultaneously earn a ridiculous amount of money, and it will not be nearly enough.
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber inches closer to franchise history vs. Yankees
Right now, it is Kyle Schwarber's league, and everybody else just happens to be playing in it. The Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter continued his white-hot month of July -- and incredible season at the plate -- on Friday night in a 12-5 win over the New York Yankees, going 3-for-5 with two more home runs and four runs batted in. He is now up to 36 home runs on the season, and within striking distance of a Phillies franchise record. His 36 home runs are tied for the most for a Phillies player through 103 games, and have him on a pace for around 56 home runs for the season. The team's single-season record is the 58 home runs hit by former first baseman Ryan Howard during the 2006 season. This is a huge season for Schwarber because he is in the final year of his contract and is set to be eligible for free agency after this season. He wants to stay in Philadelphia, and the Phillies would love to keep him, but each home run is only making that price tag go higher and higher. As of Friday, his 36 home runs are tied for second in the National League, just one behind Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. While Schwarber has been a key cog in the Phillies lineup all season, his performance has reached an entirely new level of production in July. With his two home runs on Friday, he has now hit 11 home runs in only 73 official at-bats for the month, and entered Friday's game with a staggering 1.044 OPS in July. It went up after Friday's performance. The Phillies are in a back-and-forth fight with the New York Mets for the top spot in the National League East race, and it might be time to start talking about Schwarber as a potential MVP candidate, given how much of an impact he is making at the plate.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
