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Astros remain AL's hottest team with walk-off win against Twins
The Houston Astros have lifted off.
On Saturday, the Astros improved to 40-30, their first time 10 games above .500 this season, with a 3-2 walk-off win against the Minnesota Twins.
Rookie Cam Smith remained hot as he drove in the winning run, hitting a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth.
CAM SMITH WALKS IT OFF!
— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2025
The @Astros pull off the #walkoff W! pic.twitter.com/0QUVCa86Q1
Over Smith's last 25 games entering Saturday, the 2024 first-round pick, acquired in the trade that sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, has a .294/.341/.388 slash line with 25 hits and 11 runs batted in in 91 plate appearances.
His uptick in production has coincided with an overall improvement from Houston batters. The Astros had been the league's hottest hitting team since May 24, entering Saturday, ranking first in team batting average (.275). (h/t FanGraphs)
Only the New York Mets had a better winning percentage (.789) than Houston (.722) during that span.
Saturday's win was the Astros' fourth consecutive and 14th in their last 19 games after falling to 26-25.
Houston is finding its stride and could be hard to derail. Astros batters are in rhythm, and the pitching staff has been dominant of late.
Since June 1, Astros pitchers have an MLB-low 2.30 earned run average (ERA) and rank first in strikeouts per nine innings (11.11).
Starting pitcher Hunter Brown continued his sensational season against the Twins on Saturday, allowing two earned runs and three hits with 12 strikeouts in seven innings. This season, he has a 1.88 ERA.
After seeing their streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances snapped last season and stars Alex Bregman and Tucker exit, the Astros entered 2025 with more question marks than they had in years.
Through 70 games, any fear Houston may have had about its outlook appears unfounded. It's still among the AL's best teams. Thanks to Smith's walk-off hit, it's also the hottest.
More must-reads:
- Jose Altuve, Astros show true potential in win over Twins
- Andrew McCutchen claims MLB's baseballs are different this season
- The '2024 MLB Gold Glove winners' quiz
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Angel Stadium experiences embarrassing issue after game
Angel Stadium is apparently doing its best impression of Oakland Coliseum. The Los Angeles Angels hosted the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon for a game at their Anaheim, California, home. It was the Rays who emerged victorious by a 5-4 final score, turning in some impressive plays along the way as well. After the loss by the Angels, the baseball gods continued to rain on them … literally. While reporters were gathered in the media room waiting for Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery to give his press conference, the roof in the room was noticeably leaking, resulting in water puddling on the floor and on a nearby trash can. Sam Blum of The Athletic shared the footage, noting that Montgomery’s press conference was ultimately moved to a different room. Angel Stadium opened back in 1966 and has served the home of the Angels ever since (also notably housing several other professional and collegiate teams, including the Los Angeles Rams from 1980-94). But it is clear that some renovations are badly needed at this point (beyond the trash can that appeared to have been intentionally placed under the leak to deal with the dripping water). Angels owner Arte Moreno, who has owned the team since 2003, is often accused of penny-pinching, particularly when it comes to resources and accommodations. Now that Angel Stadium looks to be slowly falling apart as well, perhaps Moreno will call for cups to be taped to the ceiling like other MLB teams have done before to stop leaks.
George Kittle delivered powerful comment about new Packers WR that sheds light on what Green Bay saw in the player
The Green Bay Packers are not done adding wide receivers. The team drafted Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, signed Will Sheppard, but also added another rookie—Isaiah Neyor, a big-bodied, undrafted receiver who had signed with the San Francisco 49ers right after the draft. Neyor spent three months in San Francisco and had a quiet training camp, which led to the team's decision to waive him, but it was enough time to catch the attention of star tight end George Kittle. Going back to June, in an interview with Bussin' with the Boys, Kittle talked about Neyor. "He's a good kid. I like him. He's a freak. He is really tall, and I watched him running a route, he got like nine and a half yards in two strides," Kittle mentioned. "It was insane. We watched it like ten times in the tight end room. We were like, how is he doing this? It's funny." The rookie has an insane athletic profile. He's 6-4, 218 pounds, and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. With a 9.97 incomplete Relative Athletic Score, he had elite size, explosion, and speed grades—but no agility testing information. "If you're that tall, just make plays and do well on special teams. Right?," Kittle added. "At the bare minimum, you should make the practice squad." Positional battle With two weeks of training camp gone, Isaiah Neyor will have a hard time to make the 53-man roster. The Packers have Golden, Williams, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks as locks. Veterans Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath are also ahead of the rookies. Even players like Cornelius Johnson and Julian Hicks, who spent last season on the practice squad, have a natural advantage. Christian Watson is expected to start the season on PUP, so he won't count against the 53-man for at least four weeks. However, both undrafted rookies (Neyor and Sheppard) have a real shot at making at least the practice squad. In Neyor's case, the 49ers expected him to be around—so much that they guaranteed him $259,000 as an undrafted free agent signing. But with injuries all over the wide receiver room, the Niners needed spots for veteran guys—they have players like Robbie Chosen, Russell Gage, and former Packer Equanimeous St. Brown on the 90-man roster. As a consequence, they lacked space for developmental pieces. With two drafted rookies in Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen, Neyor became an afterthought. On the Packers, though, the rookie will have another chance to prove that George Kittle was right.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
Green Bay Packers: Slo-Mo Video of Jordan Love’s Insane 55-Yard TD Bomb to Romeo Doubs Goes Viral
Commanders offense suffers in joint practice with Patriots
The Washington Commanders gave their coaching staff a glimpse of what could be if the front office's negotiations with star wide receiver Terry McLaurin result in a trade. It wasn't good. Per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, McLaurin's absence crushed the Commanders' passing offense during their joint practice Wednesday with the New England Patriots. Not even newcomer Deebo Samuel could save the unit. "With Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown both out, the Commanders’ lack of receiving depth has been a glaring issue in recent practices, especially so on Wednesday," Jhabvala wrote. "Deebo Samuel, a versatile playmaker who can be a chess piece for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, doesn’t (and shouldn’t) take on the workload expected of a leading wideout or even a No. 2. "And so far, none of the Commanders’ 10 other receivers has emerged as consistent playmakers or a reliable pass catcher capable of taking on more." Washington has to find a way to pay McLaurin soon. He's too critical to the offense and, more importantly, to the long-term development of second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. McLaurin had his best career season in 2024, catching 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns in Daniels' rookie season. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for his efforts. The Commanders made aggressive moves like trading for Samuel in the offseason, not to be a No. 1 wide receiver, but to help take a team that overachieved in 2024 and get them past the Philadelphia Eagles, who knocked them out in the NFC Championship game. Washington needs McLaurin on the field to help free up its other weapons like Samuel and Austin Ekeler or last season may end up just being a fluke.
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