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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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Did the Padres trade away their future?
The San Diego Padres have traded their top prospect, Leodalis De Vries, in exchange for the Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller and left-hander JP Sears. The 18-year-old De Vries was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in baseball by MLB.com and the top prospect in the Padres’ farm system. De Vries was the top prospect in the 2024 international class, signing with the Padres for $4.2 million. He rose quickly through the Padres’ system and reached High-A, where he posted a .767 OPS. Under general manager A.J. Preller, San Diego has become known for blockbuster moves, having traded away future All-Stars James Wood, C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore since 2022. The trio was traded to acquire superstar Juan Soto, who is no longer with the organization. Prior to being traded, none of the three had reached the same prospect status as De Vries. The Padres are clearly all-in, hoping to maximize their window with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts. They’ve reached the postseason in two of the past three seasons, failing to win a pennant either time. The trade boosts their World Series odds and strengthens a bullpen that already owns the best ERA in baseball, but it jeopardizes their future. How long the Padres can continue trading away future All-Stars before facing the consequences of a depleted farm system remains to be seen. Trading away De Vries clearly prioritizes the present over the future. If the Padres don’t make a meaningful push in this year’s postseason, they may live to regret this trade for years to come.
Erik Karlsson's Trade Demands to the Penguins Release Publicly
Erik Karlsson is one of a few Penguins likely on the move soon, and now the one thing the veteran blue liner wants in a new team has been officially revealed. After missing the Stanley cup Playoffs for three straight seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins come into this off-season as sellers, with the trio of Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson becoming notable names in trade speculation. While all three have a high likelihood of being moved as Kyle Dubas and the Penguins look towards the future, NHL Insider Frank Seravalli has suggested this off-season that Karlsson is the most likely of all to be moved in the summer. Now, Seravalli has followed up on the speculation, revealing another key piece of this scenario, as the veteran NHL Insider notes the one demand that Karlsson has in potential trade talks. According to Seravalli, Karlsson wants a chance to win, and given the contract that a team would potentially need to take on to bring him in, it's safe to say that only contending teams out there would be interested, with very little in it for teams that won't be chasing a Stanley Cup in the near future. As of right now, there are very few teams around the NHL that could fit Karlsson in as well as giving him the opportunity to win, with Detroit, Dallas and Carolina three teams that fit the bill, with all three having rumoured interest in an upgrade on their blue line. Ultimately, all the signs this off-season point to Karlsson being moved at some point before the 2025/26 campaign begins, and while the options are limited given his contract and his desire to win, there's no reason why a trade can't be made in the next few months.
Warriors Predicted to Trade Jonathan Kuminga to West Contender for $80 Million Duo
The Golden State Warriors have had an underwhelming offseason thus far as they continue to deal with the situation surrounding restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga is still deciding on the next chapter of his NBA career after he fell out of Steve Kerr’s rotation last season. As of now, the only reported teams interested in Kuminga are the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns and it will be difficult for either of them to acquire him as they would have to pull off a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors. Golden State has already turned down trade offers from both teams and while the sides continue to talk, there could be another team that could enter the Kuminga sweepstakes. With this in mind, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell recently created a mock trade that would send Kuminga to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team deal that includes the Atlanta Hawks. In the trade, the Warriors would send Kuminga to the Clippers in exchange for Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Brown and three second-round picks while the Hawks would land Kris Dunn from Los Angeles. This would be an interesting trade for every team involved and one that is unlikely to happen due to the Warriors’ high asking price for Kuminga. The Clippers may also not be the best fit for Kuminga as he would likely come off the bench if they were able to acquire him where he would rather be in a starting lineup, which would likely be the case with either the Suns or Kings. Despite this, the Clippers lack young talent on their roster and they could elect to add Kuminga to build around him in the future whenever Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, James Harden and Bradley Beal are gone. While that may be the case, the Warriors would likely want more in return for their young forward.
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Former Braves beat writer blames ownership, defends Alex Anthopoulos
The Braves’ trade deadline has come and gone, with Alex Anthopoulos failing to make a single notable move. Atlanta’s President of Baseball Operations brought in Erick Fedde and Carlos Carrasco to eat some innings for the rotation, while also adding Tyler Kinley, who is an interesting bullpen arm. The Braves did somehow trade Rafael Montero, who the Tigers acquired in exchange for infield prospect Jim Jarvis. Despite boasting the fourth-worst record in baseball, Alex Anthopoulos didn’t trade any of the players many expected to be moved at the deadline. Marcell Ozuna was understandable. He had 10-and-5 rights, but more than that, Ozuna is a hurt DH that has struggled to hit .160 over the last two months. That’s pretty understandable, but none of the team’s relievers? That makes no sense. Anthopoulos didn’t have to move Pierce Johnson, Aaron Bummer, and Dylan Lee if the offers weren’t enticing enough because they’re under team control next season. But Iglesias? There’s no excuse not to trade him. It’s almost indefensible. Across his last 21 appearances, Iglesias owns a 2.29 ERA and 2.18 FIP. There’s no way a contender wasn’t interested in his services. Simply put, the Braves botched the trade deadline, and the only person to blame is Alex Anthopoulos, right? Wrong, I guess. Former Braves beat writer Justin Toscano, who parted ways with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this season, is pointing the finger at ownership, not Anthopoulos. His opinion: “This deadline reeks of Liberty Media not wanting the Braves to sell more and have fan interest — money — drop.” Any insinuation that the Braves’ ownership group forced Alex Anthopoulos not to trade away players because it would result in less revenue is pretty unbelievable. Braves fans are buying tickets to come see Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, and Aaron Bummer? That’s hilarious. Braves fans buy tickets to see Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy, and Drake Baldwin. I can understand the bottom line in business. I’m not naive, but to believe Alex Anthopoulos didn’t trade Raisel Iglesias because of pressure from ownership, that’s just mental gymnastics. It’s okay to criticize Anthopoulos. But let’s just go along with Toscano’s theory. If Liberty Media is strong-arming Anthopoulos, we’ve got much bigger issues. An ownership group that is actively hindering an executive from doing his job is a recipe for disaster. Going from World Series contender to one of the worst teams in baseball could even be the result of it. It would also mean that Alex Anthopoulos is not only carrying out their wishes but is actively deceiving the fan base with the talk of payroll rising and money not being an issue. It would be one of the biggest stories in sports. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I have to believe it’s unlikely.
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