Kyle Stowers turned around a 102-mph fastball for a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning as the Miami Marlins rallied to defeat the Athletics 9-6 on Saturday afternoon.
Stowers' blast off A's All-Star closer Mason Miller (0-1) was a 396-foot, opposite-field shot to left center that snapped Miami's six-game losing streak. Stowers finished with two homers and six RBIs, belting a 422-foot, two-run drive in the third off A's starter Osvaldo Bido.
Boosting his average to .324 and slugging percentage to .552, Stowers continued his hot week. He swatted two home runs and drove in four runs Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
JJ Bleday, Luis Urias and Brent Rooker all went deep for the Athletics, who got two hits and an RBI from Gio Urshela. Bleday, Miami's first-round pick in 2019, is 4-for-8 with five runs, two homers, one double, two RBIs and one walk in the series.
Guardians 5, Blue Jays 3
Daniel Schneemann drove in all of Cleveland's runs with two homers, highlighted by a go-ahead, ninth-inning grand slam, as the visiting Guardians stunned the Toronto Blue Jays.
Trailing 3-0, Schneemann -- who doubled his season home run total Saturday -- clubbed a solo shot well into the right field seats in the eighth off Chad Green. After Yimi Garcia (0-1) gave up Steven Kwan's single and two walks in the ninth, Schneemann stepped up with two outs and crushed a 1-1 fastball to give Cleveland the lead.
The loss snapped Toronto's three-game winning streak and spoiled a stellar start from Kevin Gausman, who yielded only Kwan's third-inning bloop single, struck out nine, and walked only one batter over six sharp innings.
Twins 4, Red Sox 3
Kody Clemens hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, with his father, former Red Sox star Roger Clemens, in attendance, and visiting Minnesota held on for a win over Boston.
Minnesota was outhit 12-10, with Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader each recording two.
Boston left 10 on base -- including two in both the sixth and ninth innings -- and went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Leadoff hitter Jarren Duran went 2-for-5 with a double, triple, RBI and two runs, while Rafael Devers (two RBIs) and Romy Gonzalez each had three hits.
Giants 6, Rockies 3
Matt Chapman capped a five-run sixth inning with a grand slam and the bullpen threw four innings of shutout relief as San Francisco overcame visiting Colorado.
Giants relievers Camilo Doval, Erik Miller and Ryan Walker retained the three-run margin to the end with an inning apiece of hitless ball. Randy Rodriguez (2-0), the pitcher of record at the time of the five-run uprising, was credited with the win while Walker notched his sixth save. Luis Matos also homered for San Francisco.
Kyle Farmer collected two hits and an RBI for the Rockies, who have lost 10 of their last 12. Jake Bird (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Hunter Goodman and Ryan McMahon also had RBI hits.
Rays 3, Yankees 2
Zack Littell tossed seven strong innings and earned the win as visiting Tampa Bay scored twice in the eighth inning and edged New York.
Curtis Mead and Jose Caballero had the RBIs in the eighth for the Rays, who snapped a four-game losing streak in which they were outscored 17-3.
New York's Ryan Yarbrough, who made the emergency start after Clarke Schmidt was scratched due to side soreness, allowed one run on one hit and three walks while striking out two over four innings.
Astros 8, White Sox 3
Jake Meyers tied a franchise record with 13 total bases to lead visiting Houston to a win against Chicago.
Meyers homered twice, tripled, doubled, and drove in a career-high seven runs while hitting in the No. 9 spot. Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (5-1) overcame a rough start to go six innings, allowing three runs and four hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.
Andrew Vaughn had two hits and two RBIs for Chicago, which was aiming to win a season-high three in a row.
Padres 2, Pirates 1
Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled to lead off the ninth, swiped third and scored on a wild pitch to lift San Diego to the comeback win over host Pittsburgh.
Manny Machado started the rally with a solo homer in the seventh as the Padres earned their fourth straight win and eighth in a row over Pittsburgh. Randy Vasquez gave up one run on six hits over five innings, then the bullpen shut the door, with Robert Suarez earning his MLB-leading 13th save.
Oneil Cruz walked four times and drove in Pittsburgh's only run with a second-inning single. Pirates starter Bailey Falter allowed one run on two hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out six.
Cubs 6, Brewers 2
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a three-run homer and Jameson Taillon threw six quality innings, propelling visiting Chicago to a victory over Milwaukee.
Taillon (2-1) allowed two earned runs on three hits as the Cubs clinched the weekend series. They also won their fourth game in their last five tries.
Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker also homered for Chicago.
Jose Quintana (4-1) surrendered six runs on seven hits across five innings, absorbing his first loss as a member of the Brewers.
Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 2
J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer and Aaron Nola earned his first win of the season as host Philadelphia topped Arizona.
Max Kepler added a two-run home run for the Phillies, who improved to 6-1 in their last seven games. Nola (1-5) allowed four hits and one walk over six scoreless innings, matching his season high with eight strikeouts. Tanner Banks worked a flawless eighth before Joe Ross took care of things in the ninth.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of their last 10 games. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt (5-2), who had won his previous five starts, was charged with seven runs (six earned) and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Nationals 11, Reds 6
Amed Rosario had three hits, including a tie-breaking three-run homer in the sixth, to help Washington claim an 11-6 win over host Cincinnati.
James Wood had four hits and scored twice, Nathaniel Lowe delivered three hits, two RBIs and a run and CJ Abrams had two hits and scored three times for the Nationals, who had lost four of five. Right-hander Trevor Williams (2-3) allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Santiago Espinal had three hits, Spencer Steer had two hits and two RBIs and Jake Fraley homered and scored twice for Cincinnati, which had won two in a row. Reds lefty Nick Lodolo (3-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Royals 4, Orioles 0
Kris Bubic threw five shutout innings and three relievers completed the six-hitter in Kansas City's victory against host Baltimore.
Cavan Biggio, Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino all hit solo home runs as the Royals won for the 10th time in 12 games. Maikel Garcia went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Daniel Lynch IV, Lucas Erceg and John Schreiber worked in relief of Bubic (3-2), who gave up four singles, one walk and struck out three.
Gunnar Henderson had half of Baltimore's hits. The Orioles, who dropped to 8-8 in home games, were without an extra-base hit. Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano (3-2) took the loss, charged with two runs in six innings.
Mariners 2, Rangers 1
Rowdy Tellez's pinch-hit run-scoring single in the ninth inning lifted Seattle over slumping Texas in the second of a three-game American League West series in Arlington, Texas.
The Mariners have won six straight and nine of their last 10 and clinched their eighth straight series win and second against Texas this season. Tellez's one-out RBI came off Chris Martin (0-4). The last-at-bat uprising made a winner out of Seattle's Gabe Speier (1-0), who allowed a walk but nothing else in the eighth inning.
Andres Munoz, the AL relief pitcher of the month for March/April, allowed a one-out walk in the ninth before striking out Adolis Garcia with two outs and a runner on second to earn his 12th save. Texas has lost four straight, seven of its past eight and dropped its fifth consecutive series.
Angels 5, Tigers 2
Kyle Hendricks allowed only one run and four hits in 7 2/3 innings and host Los Angeles beat Detroit to snap a seven-game skid.
Nolan Schanuel was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Travis d'Arnaud 2-for 3 with two runs scored and a walk for the Angels. Hendricks (1-3), who didn't walk a batter and struck out three, retired 16 of the first 17 hitters, facing the regulation number of 15 batters through five innings.
Spencer Torkelson homered for the Tigers, who had won three in a row. Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (1-4) yielded five runs (four earned) on eight hits, walking one and striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings.
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SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners added to their minor league bullpen depth by sending a familiar face to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on Sunday. Mariners right-handed reliever Collin Snider was designated for assignment on July 30 following the club's trade acquisition of left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson. Snider cleared waivers and he was sent to Tacoma outright. Snider hasn't made an appearance for Seattle in the majors in nearly two months. He was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain June 4. He began a rehab assignment with Tacoma on July 5 and made nine appearances with the club. Snider was activated off the injured list the same day he was designated for assignment. Snider posted a 5.47 ERA with the Mariners with 24 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched across 24 appearances this year. While with the Rainiers, he had a 5.06 ERA with nine strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched. Seattle claimed Snider off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Feb. 6, 2024, and had a career resurgence with the M's in 2024. Snider had a 1.94 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched across 42 outings with the Mariners last season. Snider will provide Seattle with crucial reliever depth in the minors for the final two months of the season. The Mariners lost right-handed reliever Trent Thornton with a torn left Achilles tendon Thursday. Snider's will join many other Tacoma relievers who have made major league appearances for Seattle this season, including Troy Taylor, Tayler Saucedo, Casey Lawrence, Jesse Hahn, Jhonathan Diaz and others.
The New Orleans Saints' three-way quarterback competition is narrowing before the team's first preseason contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Per Ross Jackson of Louisiana Sports, second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler has looked the best at training camp this summer, going 83-of-114 passing (72.8 percent) for eight touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and four interceptions. Rattler is beating out rookie Tyler Shough. The second-round pick has completed just 62 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and one Interception. Jackson believes first-year head coach Kellen Moore is priming Rattler as the favorite to start in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. "Over the team’s 10 practices, these three young passers have seen their chance to earn the starting role to begin the season in a rotation of first-team reps," Jackson wrote. "But there are decisions the Saints have made in the process that indicate a favorite. "After looking over individual performance stats, practice rep distribution and the team’s treatment of each quarterback throughout the important and highly-productive scrimmages on camp day 10, it’s become clear that Rattler is comfortably in the lead, for now." Jackson thinks Rattler can fend off his "convincing lead" for the starting job if he plays competently against the Chargers on Sunday. Rattler feels like the safe choice for Moore over Shough and Haener, at least to start the regular season. He appeared in seven games and started in six in 2024. Rattler played inconsistently as a rookie, throwing four touchdowns to five interceptions. However, he's had time to develop. Given his numbers in training camp, Rattler appears to be the most polished quarterback before the regular season. Shough could eventually develop into the Saints' best option, but the rookie's completion percentage against friendly competition at camp is low before he even faces live action in the preseason.
The Dallas Cowboys’ ongoing stalemate with Micah Parsons has been front-page news, but Bill Simmons has another theory. Jerry Jones is a smart businessman, and because of that, the ongoing discourse with one of his greatest players seems odd to say the least. A man worth $15 billion would typically know that publicly frustrating your star players is not exactly the greatest way to do business. The feud has led many former players to chime in with their opinions, and it wouldn’t be the first time that Jones has waited until the final moment to sign one of his stars to an extension. Simmons believes Jerry Jones causes drama with his players on purpose, keeping the Cowboys front of the queue The Dallas Cowboys have typically been late to sign their stars in recent years, namely both Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Many are starting to notice a pattern, with Jerry Jones holding out on the players that matter the most, often getting dangerously close to the season starting before eventually committing to a new contract. In 2024, CeeDee Lamb had to wait until many other wide receivers had gotten their deals before he got his. Justin Jefferson had signed a four-year, $140 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings on June 3rd, while Amon-Ra St. Brown had agreed his deal with the Detroit Lions in late April. DJ Moore agreed his extension with the Chicago Bears on the final day of July, but CeeDee Lamb was forced to wait until August 26th, just a couple of weeks before Week 1 of the new season. Oddly enough, he still got his extension before Dak Prescott, who signed his four-year contract just hours before the first game of the season on September 8th. It wasn’t a small deal either, with Prescott signing his name to a $240 million deal the morning of the game. Now in 2025, history is repeating itself, with Micah Parsons being forced to wait for an extension while the likes of Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, TJ Watt and company have all signed theirs already. Bill Simmons has a theory about it all, as he suggested on the latest episode of his podcast, with guest Diana Russini. Simmons said: “There’s this Cowboys documentary coming out on Netflix, and it’s actually really good. I think it’s going to be a big deal, and it’s about the Jerry Jones’ ’90s Cowboys and the celebration of this really meaningful team…” “Part of me wonders does he (Jerry Jones) just do this sometimes with these holdouts just to get people talking about the Cowboys all month, when he knows how this is going to end? They’re not trading Micah Parsons, nobody’s doing that.” It’s a theory that has surfaced before, but one that would require Jerry Jones either playing with fire with his star players, or cutting them in on the scripted drama in order to make sure his team steals the headlines. The drama has really spiraled out of control in recent weeks, with Jerry Jones naming former star Dez Bryant as a player he once had a problem with. Suggestion that Micah Parsons is in on the drama as Jerry Jones continues late-extension trend If the theory is correct, you would have to imagine that Jones is letting his players know about his plan. CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott may have had their deals agreed in principle long before they were made official, which in a way would be smart business. As other teams sign their stars, their names fade from the headlines and TV shows, leaving only those with outstanding negotiations to be discussed. It seems a little suspect that in recent years, the Dallas Cowboys always seem to be one of those teams, with a star player waiting to get the deal he feels he deserves. Parsons could be in on the deal and may already have the figure agreed with Jones and the Cowboys. They can then gallivant around on social media and at press conferences as if there is an ongoing feud, coercing the fans into the drama before agreeing the contract at the final hour. Many believe Jones, the Cowboys, and Micah Parsons will have a deal agreed before the 2025 season begins, which would only play further into Simmons’ theory. If it’s true, it certainly works, but it isn’t a particularly positive way to portray the franchise.
The Green Bay Packers continued work on the field on Saturday, with tens of thousands of fans in attendance watching amid the annual Family Night. However, one notable player who was not able to make it to the field and practice was tight end Tucker Kraft. The former South Dakota State Jackrabbits star is nursing a lower-body injury, forcing the Packers to take it easy on the tight end and keep him on the shelf rather than risk aggravation of the issue. Speaking to the media, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opened up about Kraft’s status, via Green Bay reporter Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “MLF said Tucker Kraft has been dealing with a groin injury and powering through it for the last two days but they decided to give him a couple days off.” Kraft is expected to be among the major targets in the Packers’ passing attack in his third year in the pros. Selected in the third round (78th overall) by the Packers in the 2023 NFL draft, the 24-year-old Kraft is looking to surpass his production in 2024, when he posted 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 50 receptions.