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Four-run eighth inning powers Mets past Cubs 6-2
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Francisco Lindor led off the eighth inning with a tie-breaking home run to spark a four-run outburst and give the New York Mets a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the deciding game of a three-game series between National League division leaders.

Mark Vientos added an RBI single and Brandon Nimmo had a two-run home run in the eighth to provide insurance for the Mets, who have won three of four.

Luis Torrens had a run-scoring triple in the second inning as New York improved to 8-4-1 in series play this season.

Pete Crow-Armstrong homered in the sixth and Nico Hoerner had an RBI single in the seventh for the Cubs, who have dropped four of five.

Hoerner's RBI hit off Reed Garrett cost Mets starter Griffin Canning a chance at the win and Brad Keller threw a scoreless seventh for the Cubs before the Mets rallied against Porter Hodge (2-1).

Lindor homered on a 3-1 pitch and Pete Alonso doubled two batters later before scoring on Vientos' single. Nimmo greeted Gavin Hollowell with a home run to right.

Ryne Stanek (1-3) struck out two in a perfect eighth before Edwin Diaz tossed a 1-2-3 ninth in a non-save situation.

Canning had his five-start winning streak snapped despite allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings.

Vientos homered in the sixth. Lindor, Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez also had two hits apiece. Lindor has multiple hits in three of his last four games.

Alvarez singled in both at-bats after replacing Torrens, who was hit by a foul ball while catching in the sixth.

The triple by Torrens was the fourth of his career and his first since the 2021 season.

Cubs starter Matthew Boyd gave up two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out eight over six innings.

Dansby Swanson had the Cubs' first hit, an infield single that was deflected by Canning in the second.

This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.

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New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez
MLB

New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez

The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.

Aaron Rodgers responds to criticism from Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw
NFL

Aaron Rodgers responds to criticism from Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw

The Pittsburgh Steelers' signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an immediately polarizing move that did not sit well with large portions of the fan base. It also did not sit well with one of the team's all-time greatest players, four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw initially referred to the signing of Rodgers as a "joke" and that he should "stay in California and go chew bark" in reference to Rodgers isolating himself in a darkness retreat last year. On Saturday, Rodgers finally had a chance to respond to Bradshaw and did so with a combination of taking the high road, and also trying to make light of it. “I whisper to the gods every single day. I’ve known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He’s had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn’t know me. And so, he’s got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I’ve done, the documentary, what I’ve said, darkness retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level. I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, then we’d have a good friendship." He ended the answer by saying, "So, I’d love to get to know Terry on a deeper level if he’s open to it. And maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he’s talking about together.” The Steelers were in a pretty desperate quarterback situation this offseason after completely overhauling the position for a second year in a row. They missed out on the chance to re-sign Justin Fields, let Russell Wilson walk, missed out on every other veteran who changed teams and passed on the opportunity to select a quarterback near the top of a weak quarterback draft class. (They ultimately selected Ohio State's Will Howard in the sixth round.) The whole Rodgers saga has been quite a soap opera for the Steelers as they waited around for months while he decided on whether or not he wanted to play this season, and if he wanted to play for the Steelers. Add in the fact he has had a tendency to cause some off-field distractions with his comments and weekly "Pat McAfee Show" appearances, as well as the fact he will turn 42 years old this season and hasn't been a top-tier quarterback in three years, and a lot of Steelers fans — and former players — were put off by the idea. The only thing that will matter in the end, however, is how Rodgers plays on the field. He has said all of the right things since joining the team, and his new teammates have all spoken highly of him so far, but it will still come down to results on the field. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years and are facing added pressure each year to end that drought. They are hoping Rodgers has one more good year in him to help them advance in the postseason.

'In what world does this make sense?’: Oilers and $63M forward
NHL

'In what world does this make sense?’: Oilers and $63M forward

According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.

NFL

Vikings training camp recap, Day 4: J.J. McCarthy puts on a show for fans

For the first time this year, Vikings fans filled the bleachers at TCO Performance Center on Saturday afternoon. Those who braved the heat and came out to watch their favorite team practice were treated to a show by the 22-year-old quarterback who holds so much of the franchise's future on his shoulders. On the fourth day of training camp (and the third full-speed practice), J.J. McCarthy had easily his best day of work thus far. The highlight was a deep ball to Jordan Addison late in the practice, which drew cheers from the crowd and a celebration from McCarthy. He got the look he wanted and let it rip, hitting Addison in stride over the top of the second-team defense for a 60-yard touchdown. McCarthy had previously cut it loose on a deep ball, with the first one coming when he got the defense to jump offside and had a free play to work with. That one was also placed well roughly 55 yards downfield, but Byron Murphy Jr. was running stride for stride with Jalen Nailor and made a great play to knock the ball down. After the first one wasn't completed, it had to feel good for McCarthy to connect with Addison on that second deep attempt. Earlier, in a 7-on-7 red zone period, McCarthy went 3 for 5 with a trio of touchdowns. To start, he hit Aaron Jones for a score in the flat. After getting into the end zone, Jones clapped his hands over his head to lead the fans in a SKOL chant. McCarthy led Jalen Nailor a bit too far on his second attempt, but the third was a touchdown to Nailor towards the same left sideline. The fourth was a somewhat catchable ball that a leaping Nailor couldn't come down with over the middle. And to cap off the period, McCarthy rifled one to T.J. Hockenson for a score. Another thing we saw from McCarthy, which is important, was the ability to layer the ball over the first level of the defense with touch. There's no question about his ability to throw a fastball, but the offspeed pitch, so to speak, is something he's been focusing on this offseason. He connected with Nailor on a layered throw to the sideline early in the session. McCarthy also hit Hockenson on a nice layered, anticipatory throw over the middle at one point. To be clear, it wasn't a perfect day for the Vikings' young quarterback. He missed a few throws here and there and had a couple plays where he would've been sacked before getting to the read he wanted. Still, I think anyone who was in attendance would tell you it was an encouraging performance on a very hot late-July day. He commanded the huddle, showed off his arm talent, and didn't throw a single interception. Now he'll look to build off that momentum when pads come on for the first time on Monday. Here are some other things I saw at practice on Saturday. Jonathan Greenard is a monster. After making the Pro Bowl last year with 12 sacks, 80 pressures, 18 TFLs, and 4 forced fumbles, Greenard looks to be in line for another big season. I counted at least two would-be sacks and two TFLs against the run over the course of this practice. There was one sequence where he set the edge for a run stop and then burst into the backfield for a sack on consecutive plays. He did it both against the second-team offense and the starters (who are admittedly without Christian Darrisaw). The additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in the middle should only help Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel continue to dominate. With no Justin Jefferson, the Vikings are using a variety of different receivers as the WR3 alongside Addison and Nailor with the first-team offense. Today, the guy who got the majority of those looks was Lucky Jackson, a practice squad guy now in his third year in Minnesota. Jackson caught a couple balls from McCarthy in a move-the-ball period late in the practice, including a 20-yard chunk gain. He could be a sleeper to make the roster as a depth option. Three members of the Vikings' starting secondary didn't appear to be participating in team periods. Josh Metellus, whose contract extension was announced earlier on Saturday, is dealing with a minor ankle injury and is expected to be back out there on Monday. I didn't see Harrison Smith or Isaiah Rodgers in action, either. That meant the starting safeties were Theo Jackson and Jay Ward, while Mekhi Blackmon joined Jeff Okudah and Murphy at corner on the first-team defense. Backup quarterback Sam Howell has had a fairly shaky start to camp, but he did look a little better today. After his first attempt of the day was swatted by Van Ginkel on a rollout, Howell put together a handful of solid throws. He connected with Jeshaun Jones and Tim Jones for touchdowns in the red zone 7-on-7 period. Jeshaun Jones was Howell's favorite target on the day. He also had a quality completion to rookie Tai Felton later on against the starting defense, then got sacked by Allen and Van Ginkel on the ensuing play. The Vikings will want to see progress from Howell, but he doesn't appear to be in jeopardy of losing his QB2 role to Brett Rypien or Max Brosmer. Speaking of Brosmer, the rookie QB got some good opportunities in this practice, which was the longest of camp so far. He connected with Ben Yurosek in red zone 7s and had a few completions in 11s to end the day, including a nice throw to Dontae Fleming on the final play from scrimmage of the practice. Saturday's session wrapped up with the first kicking work we've seen in camp. Will Reichard, the lone kicker on the roster, went 5 for 6 on a day where there was a bit of wind. He hit from 33, 40, 45, 50, and 54 yards out. His lone miss went narrowly wide left from 48. Reichard's leg power remains something to behold. After an off day Sunday, we'll be back in Eagan on Monday for the first padded practice of camp. Vikings news, rumors, analysis

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