The Kansas City Royals fell to the Minnesota Twins 8-3 on Monday night, with a rough outing from Brady Singer proving to be the difference.
Singer, now 8-8 on the season, struggled mightily in the second inning, surrendering six runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings, despite recording nine strikeouts. The loss marks his second consecutive defeat and continues a rough stretch for the Royals as they battle for a Wild Card spot.
The Royals jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, thanks in part to a first-inning home run by Bobby Witt Jr., who continues to be a bright spot in the lineup. However, the momentum quickly shifted in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, Singer walked Carlos Santana, then gave up consecutive singles to Ryan Jeffers and Austin Martin. Willi Castro then delivered a crushing blow with a three-run homer to left field. The inning spiraled further out of control as Trevor Larnach singled, and Royce Lewis followed with a two-run homer, putting the Twins ahead 6-2.
Kansas City attempted to claw back in the sixth inning when MJ Melendez doubled and Adam Frazier singled to cut the deficit to 6-3. However, their bullpen issues resurfaced in the seventh. Carlos Hernandez, recently called up from Omaha, allowed two more runs—one unearned due to a Bobby Witt Jr. error—sealing the Royals’ fate.
Despite a three-hit night from Kyle Isbel and solid performances from a few key batters, the Royals couldn’t overcome the damage done in the second inning. Witt Jr., who was hit by a 95 mph fastball on the forearm, managed to stay in the game, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
Now 65-54, the Royals still hold onto the third Wild Card spot, but the loss serves as a reminder of the challenges they face as the season progresses.
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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora appeared to tamper with Kyle Schwarber on Tuesday. Cora’s Red Sox were in the middle of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies, which is why the subject of Schwarber came up. Phillies Nation reporter Destiny Lugardo asked Cora about Schwarber’s upcoming free agency. The Red Sox manager said he would be “very, very intrigued” to see how Schwarber’s free agency plays out. Lugardo took that to mean that Cora will be advocating for the Red Sox to try to sign Schwarber. However, Cora acknowledged that Philadelphia has been great for the slugger. "I hate to say it, but (Philly) is a perfect place for him,” Cora said, via Lugardo. Schwarber, 32, was a trade-deadline acquisition by the Red Sox in 2021. He batted .291 with a .957 OPS in 41 regular-season games with the team. The Red Sox lost in the ALCS that year with Cora as the manager. During that offseason, Schwarber signed a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies, which has worked out well. Schwarber has slugged 164 home runs over his four seasons with the Phillies with an .849 OPS. He has been such a good fit with the Phillies that the team might not want to let him go. The problem is, Cora even just describing himself “intrigued” over Schwarber’s free agency may be enough to be considered tampering with a player who is under contract with another team.
There isn't a specific date for wide receiver Christian Watson to return to the field. He won't practice throughout training camp, and will possibly start the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, missing the first four games of the year. But the Green Bay Packers are pleased with his recovery process. Before the first day of training camp practice on Wednesday, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about Watson and how he's looking less than seven months after tearing his ACL against the Chicago Bears in January. "[Christian Watson looks] Great. Yeah, he's kind of a freak, you know," Gutekunst mentioned. "He did a run test the other day and looked great. Again, it's an ACL, and it's his second one, so we're going to take our time with it. I'm sure there's going to be a time where he's really pressing to get out there, but he's doing great." PUP rules At this moment, Christian Watson is on the active/PUP list, which means he can be activated at any point before the regular season. If he's to miss the first month of the season anyway, the Packers can move him to the reserve/PUP list on cutdown day, so he wouldn't count against the initial 53-man roster—and would miss at least the first four games, against the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys. The Packers could open his 21-day practice window following that, and after three weeks the team had to make a final call about activating him or moving him to the injured reserve. However, the team is not forced to open the practice window after three weeks, and Watson could spend more time on the PUP. Usually, the Packers tend to wait ten months for players with ACL injuries to return, putting the wide receiver in position to play in early November. There is a curious extra element that applies to Watson, even though it's an unlikely one. Because he is in the final year of his deal, if Watson spends the entire season on PUP and is never activated, his contract will toll to 2026. That means he would be under contract for next year, with the same $1.965 million base salary. Players who weren't on the field on Wednesday: LB Quay Walker (ankle) WR Christian Watson (knee) CB Micah Robinson (knee) EDGE/LB Collin Oliver (hamstring) RB Amar Johnson (hamstring) G John Williams (back) C Elgton Jenkins (back)
Lakers power forward Maxi Kleber was reportedly close to being involved in another trade with his new team. A former fan favorite of the Dallas Mavericks, Kleber spent eight seasons in Dallas before being part of one of the biggest trades in NBA history — heading to Los Angeles along with NBA superstar Luka Dončić. Now, after missing most of last season due to injury and playing just five minutes for the Lakers before re-injuring a right foot fracture he suffered in January, Kleber nearly found himself on the move again. The reason? The Lakers recently signed star guard Marcus Smart following his buyout with the Washington Wizards. To make room for the deal, Los Angeles needed to clear additional cap space. Their first move was to release point guard Shake Milton, freeing up about $3 million. But that still wasn’t enough. Initially, the Lakers considered trading away players like Dalton Knecht and another player on an expiring contract to bring back a single, more affordable option. Kleber was rumored to be that expiring contract player potentially involved in the deal. However, after exploring options, the Lakers ultimately chose a simpler route — releasing guard Jordan Goodwin to free up the remaining space and finalize the signing of Smart. Kleber has long been regarded as a valuable role player and depth piece, known for his versatility as a big man with the ability to shoot from the perimeter. Now, reunited with Luka Dončić — this time wearing purple and gold — Kleber hopes to make an impact in Los Angeles. But injury concerns remain: over the past few seasons, he has missed significant time, and that’s the last thing the Lakers can afford after spending nearly all of their cap space to acquire Marcus Smart. To avoid finding himself at the center of another major trade, Kleber will need to stay healthy, contribute consistently, and simply be available to help the Lakers in their pursuit of a championship next season.
The Minnesota Vikings have their quarterback of the future in J.J. McCarthy and it didn't take him long to make an impact. During the first practice when they went into team drills, McCarthy fired up a 60-yard bomb to wide receiver Jordan Addison and hit him in stride. This is the first of many highlights that Vikings fans will be expecting to see over the course of the entire season. With major weapons on the outside in Addison, Justin Jefferson, and T.J. Hockenson paired with Kevin O'Connell's offense, it should become commonplace. One of the biggest things that concerned me when the Vikings selected McCarthy was his deep ball. It was far from consistent with some issues in both accuracy and the ball dying in the air. Some of that was due to his mechanics, which seem to have been improved considerably. Over the course of last offseason, the Vikings made a conscious effort to improve his mechanics and it all looks good so far. The biggest issue was how much McCarthy kicked out his right leg on his follow through. It's significantly more under control now, and it looks to be making an impact. My scouting report from when McCarthy came out highlights just that. Deep accuracy isn't consistent for McCarthy. Too often the ball either dies on him or it's poorly placed. Did have the second-highest completion percentage over 20 yards, but throws of 40+ yards are where the issue lies. He is lethal in the 10-30 yard range The intermediate game is where things are going to be massively impactful. McCarthy is lethal in that range, including how head coach Kevin O'Connell likes to run his offense. The amount of in-breaking routes he loves to call suits McCarthy to a T. Will this translate to the game? There's no reason to believe it won't be. For now, just be excited about what could be.
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