As far as statements go, the Pojoaque Valley football team issued a strong one in its 41-17 win over Taos on Friday.
And Josh Gonzales added to it with a performance worthy of being The New Mexican's athlete of the week for Aug. 17-21. The senior quarterback guided an offense that churned out 424 rushing yard, gaining 254 of them on 19 carries with two touchdowns. Gonzales also went 3-for-9 passing for 70 yards and a touchdowns, to boot.
Gonzales scored on a 2-yard plunge and a 69-yard scamper as the Elks scored 27 points in the second half. The longer run extended the lead to 34-17 late in the third quarter. He also did his part on the defensive side, recording five tackles that was tied for second-most on the team.
Honorable mention:
* St. Michael's running backs C.J. Valdez and Roman Barrera combined for 198 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-6 win over Capital Aug. 21. Valdez had a team-high 127 yards on just 11 carries, while Barrera ran for 71 yards and two scores on just six carries. He also had 30 yards in receiving yards, too.

#touchdowns #valdez

If Washington Commanders fans had their way, Tyler Biadasz would still be the starting center. Washington shockingly cut Biadasz back in March with one year remaining on his deal after two seasons as the starter. Shortly after his release, Biadasz signed a virtually identical contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Unfortunately, Biadasz may not play for the Chargers this season. During Tuesday's joint practice with the 49ers, San Francisco defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez rolled up onto Biadasz's legs, and he fell backward. Biadasz remained on the ground for a few minutes before he was carted off.
Here's the play in which Biadasz was injured.
The injury didn't look good for Biadasz, but there's been no word on its extent. One doctor on X says the best-case scenario for Biadasz would be an MCL sprain.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Biadasz in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He took over as the starting center in his rookie year and never looked back, remaining in the role until he signed with the Commanders in March 2024. Biadasz was a critical part of Washington's offensive line for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in the Commanders' magical 2024 season. Overall, he started 31 regular-season games for Washington, plus three playoff games.

#march #starting #year

El SEGUNDO, Calif. -- It only took seven reps for a key Chargers offensive lineman to go down. Center Tyler Biadasz had his head down as he was carted into the facility.
On the seventh play of Tuesday morning's joint practice, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw a pass downfield to receiver Quentin Johnston, who made a heck of a grab while also being interfered with by 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
While everyone was celebrating downfield, the training staff rushed to Biadasz, who was on the ground in pain and favoring his left leg. During the play to Johnston, left guard Kayode Awosika blocked 49ers defensive lineman Sebastian Valdez into Biadasz's leg.
The Chargers center was helped up by two trainers and onto the cart. As he sat on it, Biadasz hit the cart three times in frustration. Herbert and multiple players came over to offer their support.
"Obviously praying for the best," Herbert said after practice.

#biadasz #herbert #down

Chargers center Tyler Biadasz was carted off during their joint practice against the 49ers with a leg injury.
Biadasz went down after 49ers defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez fell on his left knee during 11v11. The medical cart came out after he couldn't put any weight on his leg.
The Chargers made Biadasz a key part of their offensive-line overhaul this offseason, signing the 28-year-old to a three-year, $30 million contract after the Commanders released him. Los Angeles quickly installed him as its starting center.
Biadasz is set to bring plenty of experience to the position, having earned a Pro Bowl selection with the Cowboys in 2022. His presence should provide Justin Herbert with added stability up front while giving the Chargers a veteran anchor between Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt.
However, things aren't looking so bright in that department after this latest update. Still, the severity of the injury is unclear.

#biadasz #chargers #tyler #angeles

Despite a rough latter half of the game, the Tigers beat the Pirates 8-5.
After limping their way through a no-good-very-bad weekend series against the White Sox, the Tigers were hoping for a better result as they headed to Pittsburgh. The home of a bunch of yellow bridges, Primanti Brothers sandwiches, and the best view in baseball, the Tigers would have to best their NL rivals and they picked a good time to do it with Paul Skenes slumping terribly and the Pirates, but the Pirates actually have a nearly identical record to the Tigers at the moment, so truly no one knows how this road trip is going to pan out. The Tigers had Framber Valdez on the mound, up against Carmen Mlodzinski for the Pirates.
Gleyber Torres took a leadoff walk in the first to start the game. With two outs, Colt Keith singled, then Zach McKinstry singled to bring Torres home. A Hao-Yu Lee single then brought Keith in and the Tigers were up 2-0 at the turnover of the first.
Valdez made short work of the Pirates in the home half, getting them out in order.
In the second, with two outs, Torres singled. Kevin McGonigle then homered, quickly doubling the Tigers' run count. Dillon Dingler singled, but the Tigers weren't able to bring in any additional runs.

#pirates #home #half #good

PITTSBURGH — Carmen Mlodzinski was knocked around and the Pirates couldn't crawl out of an early deficit, falling 8-5 to the Tigers at PNC Park on Monday night.
Top 1st, 2-0 DET: The Tigers (61-64) plated a pair of runs off Carmen Mlodzinski (6-6) to begin the game. Zach McKinstry and Hao-Yu Lee delivered two-out RBI singles to give Detroit the early advantage.
Top 2nd, 4-0 DET: Kevin McGonigle hit a two-run home run to right-center with two outs. Mlodzinski grooved a cutter over the heart of the plate and the rookie third baseman did not miss it.
Top 5th, 5-0 DET: Following a Nick Gonzales error at second base, Max Clark singled home Lee against Isaac Mattson.
Bottom 5th, 5-1 DET: With two on and **** ody out against Framber Valdez (8-8), Henry Davis looked to have bounced into a double play to short. But Lee delivered a poor throw to first base, allowing Jake Mangum to score from second on the error.

#early

Time/Place: 7:05 p.m., PNC Park
SB Nation Site: Bucs Dugout
Media: ESPN, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (6-5, 3.79 ERA)
Player
G
IP
K%

#time

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.
For the first time in nearly a month, the Pirates secured a series win after defeating the Red Sox 8-3 in Sunday's rubber match at PNC Park.
Bottom 1st, 2-0 PIT: The Pirates (61-65) manufactured a pair of runs on three consecutive pitches from Patrick Sandoval (1-2). Esmerlyn Valdez and Bryan Reynolds hit back-to-back doubles and Brandon Lowe plated the latter with a single to left.
Click here to read more on PGHBaseballNOW.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

#back #park #patrick #esmerlyn

PITTSBURGH — For the first time in nearly a month, the Pirates secured a series win after defeating the Red Sox 8-3 in Sunday's rubber match at PNC Park.
Bottom 1st, 2-0 PIT: The Pirates (61-65) manufactured a pair of runs on three consecutive pitches from Patrick Sandoval (1-2). Esmerlyn Valdez and Bryan Reynolds hit back-to-back doubles and Brandon Lowe plated the latter with a single to left.
Bottom 3rd, 7-0 PIT: The Pirates sent 10 men to the plate and scored five runs in the inning. Bryan Reynolds and Brandon Lowe each had an RBI single, Nick Yorke brought home two with a base hit to center and Henry Davis chipped in a sacrifice fly.
Top 5th, 7-3 PIT: Connor Wong blasted a three-run home run to left-center off Hunter Barco (1-1) to get the Red Sox (66-58) on the board.
Bottom 7th, 8-3 PIT: Yorke delivered again for the Pirates with an two-out RBI single to right field off Raymond Burgos.

#brandon #lowe #runs #three

Things turned awfully testy during the late innings of Wednesday night's 4-2 Mariners victory over the Detroit Tigers, which evened the pivotal series for both teams in an American League playoff race that is heating up more and more with every passing day. A half-inning after Cal Raleigh was drilled in the ribs with 95 mph four-seam fastball by Enmanuel De Jesus — and no warnings were issued — Gabe Speier pegged Gleyber Torres with a 96 mph four-seamer of his own, leading to an exchanging of words and the benches clearing. Speier and Dan Wilson both ended up ejected. As Kate said in the recap, we'll see if this has any ramifications Thursday.
Speaking of throwing at people, Framber Valdez gets the start for the Tigers on Thursday. His first season in Detroit hasn't gone quite to plan, with many of his numbers across the board taking a step back. His FIP has ballooned to 4.13 in 2026, having not exceeded 3.50 over his previous four seasons in Houston.
The Mariners will look to Bryce Miller to try to secure an important series win before the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays come to town for 50 Seasons weekend. Big Tex had a much shakier month of July (4.93 FIP) after beginning his 2026 campaign with solid performance in May (2.86) and June (3.22). For more on the pitching matchup, check out the series preview.
Taylor Ward is in the leadoff spot for his first time as a Mariner. Brendan Donovan and Josh Naylor both get scheduled days off, and Raleigh gets a rest day (unrelated to the hit-by-pitch last night). Jhonny Pereda will be behind the plate for the first time since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, while Weston Wilson and Leo Rivas make starts at first and third base.
In the aftermath of Wednesday's bench-clearing incident, both Speier and Dan Wilson have been suspended by Major League Baseball. Speier's discipline amounts to three games, which he is appealing. Dan Wilson, on the other hand, will serve his one-game suspension on Thursday afternoon. Manny Acta will be the Mariners' acting manager for this important rubber game.

#speier

Spencer Horwitz's three-run double helped lift the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Brewers at American Family Field on Monday night.
Top 3rd, 3-0 PIT: With the bases loaded and two outs, Spencer Horwitz ripped a bases-clearing double down the right field line against Brandon Sproat (3-7).
Top 4th, 4-0 PIT: Endy Rodríguez singled to open the inning and advanced to third on back-to-back wild pitches from Sproat, which prompted a pitching change. With runners on the corners and one out against Garrett Stallings, Jake Mangum tacked on another run for the Pirates (57-57) on a bunt single.
Bottom 5th, 4-1 PIT: The Brewers (69-43) didn't get their first hits off Bubba Chandler (4-8) until the fifth inning, but Joey Ortiz's RBI single got them on the board.
Bottom 6th, 4-3 PIT: Milwaukee got within one when Andrew Vaughn broke his bat for an RBI single to right field. Esmerlyn Valdez fired to third base, but the ball hopped past Nick Gonzales, allowing Jake Bauers to score from first base.

#brewers

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Spencer Horwitz hit a three-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates extended their dominance over the Brewers this season, beating Milwaukee 4-3 on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Pittsburgh has won six of seven games against the NL Central-leading Brewers this season.
The Pirates jumped on Brewers starter Brandon Sproat (3-7) in the third. Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds singled and Esmerlyn Valdez walked. Horwitz followed with a bases-clearing double that staked Pittsburgh to a 3-0 lead.
The Pirates added a run in the fourth when Endy Rodriguez led off with a single and moved to third on consecutive wild pitches by Sproat, who was then replaced by Garrett Stallings, with Jacob Gonzalez still at-bat. Stallings eventually struck out Gonzalez before walking Henry Davis and giving up a soft bunt single to Jake Mangum that scored Rodriguez.
Pirates starter Bubba Chandler (4-8) held the Brewers without a hit until David Hamilton's single up the middle with two outs in the fifth. Joey Ortiz followed with another base hit that drove in Jake Bauers, who had walked leading off the inning.

#pittsburgh #horwitz #rodriguez

The Detroit Tigers took the second of their three-game road series against the Athletics with an 8-6 win on Saturday night. Max Clark hit his first major league home run and Framber Valdez threw a quality start, but the bullpen almost gave another one away in the late innings.
Looking to seal the sweep in Sacramento, the Motor City Kitties send right-hander Keider Montero to the mound. The 26-year-old's last outing against the Baltimore Orioles was a dud, serving up six runs (four earned) on nine hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out one and hitting a batter over 4 1/3 innings to earn his sixth loss of 2026 in an 8-5 final.
For the A's, left-hander Gage Jump will be making the 13th start of his rookie campaign coming off one of his better outings of the summer. At home against the Boston Red Sox, the 23-year-old threw six scoreless frames on three hits and four walks while striking out seven to earn his fourth win in a 4-3 final.
Here is how things look on paper heading into the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Time (ET): 4:05 p.m.
Place: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, California
SB Nation Site: Athletics Nation
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

#series #threw

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.
The Pirates finally got the better of a left-handed starting pitcher and snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Reds at Great American Ballpark on Saturday night.
Top 3rd, 3-0 PIT: Four walks and a base hit against Andrew Abbott (5-7) led to three runs for the Pirates (56-56). Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez drew back-to-back free passes with the bases loaded and Nick Gonzales followed with an RBI on a fielder's choice to second.
Click here to read more on PGHBaseballNOW.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

#pghbaseballnow #four #back #ballpark

CINCINNATI (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft gave up two hits over five innings, while a pair of bases-loaded walks during a three-run third helped the Pittsburgh Pirates snap a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.
Steady rain was falling in the third inning when Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott issued four walks including two with the bases loaded to Brandon Lowe and Esmerlyn Valdez to help the Pirates take a 2-0 lead.
The game was delayed one hour and 46 minutes by rain during the sixth inning.
Abbott threw 43 pitches in the third. Following his walk to Reynolds, Abbott had the grounds crew apply drying compound to the mound. His foot slipped on two of his deliveries to Valdez.
Abbott (5-7) allowed three earned runs on three hits with five walks and one strikeout on 98 pitches.

#cincinnati #reds #hits

The Diamondbacks dropped the opener of The Most Important Series of the Season™, losing 3-2 in ten innings to the Pirates. Merrill Kelly pitched well, and Max Kepler gave Arizona a 2-0 lead. But a throwing error by Kelly allowed a key Pittsburgh run, and Juan Morillo then gave up the tying score, which pushed the contest into extras. The Diamondbacks were unable to take advantage of a major Pirates gaffe, stranding the Manfred Man. A ball which was clanked off the glove of Ildemaro Vargas let the home team walk off, but the key stat tonight was the D-backs going just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. And one of those hits didn't score a run either.
But to focus on the positives. Merrill Kelly continued his resurgence. He finished June with an ERA above six (6.11, to be precise). But since the calendar turned to July, he has been much improved. Tonight, he allowed only an unearned run over 5.2 innings, on four hits – all of which were singles. He walked one and struck out six. [That is still an area of concern. Through nineteen starts last year, he had 7 or more K's eight times: he hasn't gone past six at all this year] He did hit a batter, Pirates' rookie Esmerlyn Valdez wearing a pitch around the wrist area, and having to leave the game in obvious discomfort. Hopefully, there's no serious damage there.
Through five innings, both Kelley and his opposite number – confusingly, called M. Keller – were basically cruising. Each side has managed to advance only one runner past first-base to that point. In the top of the second, Max Kepler led off with a single, advanced to third on a pair of outs, but was stranded there when Ildemaro Vargas grounded out. For the Pirates, they got a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth, and the runner stole second before being left there. Kelly even got a pick-off, ending the fourth by nailing the pinch-runner who had come in to replace Valdez. Rather embarrassing for them, I imagine.
Both pitchers were also being highly efficient. Through five innings, Keller had needed just 63 pitches, and Kelly less than a handful more at 67. I particularly enjoyed this strikeout by Kelly which ended the fifth inning. None of the six pitches in the zone, and zero contact by the batter on his three swings. However, my hopes of a quick recap foundered thereafter, as neither starting pitcher would make it through the sixth. Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo singled to lead off the top of the frame, though Gabriel Moreno would strike out looking, on a master-class of ABS by the Pirates catcher, which reversed two ******* to strikes, by very narrow margins.
[Conversely, Moreno was 0-for-2 in his challenges tonight. Though it is worth noting that the team's overall challenge rate when on defense is still 66.7%, significantly better than the MLB average of 58.1%.]

#innings #tonight #runner

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.
The good news for the Pirates is that they moved into a tie for the third National League wild card spot with a 3-2 walk-off win over the Diamondbacks at PNC Park on Monday night.
But the win came with a potential cost as star rookie Esmerlyn Valdez left the game after being hit by a pitch on his left hand.
Top 6th, 2-0 ARZ: The Diamondbacks (55-52) broke the scoreless tie on Max Kepler's two-RBI double off Mitch Keller with one out, knocking the Pirates starter out of the game.
Bottom 6th, 2-1 ARZ: Brandon Lowe got the Pirates (55-52) on the board when he plated Jake Mangum from third base on an infield single off Merrill Kelly.

#pirates #Third #Monday

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brandon Lowe singled home Billy Cook in the bottom of the 10th inning to rally the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
Lowe finished a three-hit night by lacing a line drive off Diamondbacks reliever Taylor Clarke (2-2) that smacked off the glove of Arizona first baseman Ildemaro Vargas and rolled away, allowing Cook to race home as the Pirates pulled even with the Diamondbacks for the National League's third wild-card spot.
Mason Montgomery (4-3) worked around an error by third baseman Nick Gonzales and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 10th to earn the victory. The Pirates' bullpen, which has been a sore spot much of the season, tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
Bryan Reynolds delivered a game-tying RBI double in the eighth for Pittsburgh, which lost promising rookie outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez to a left-hand injury in the fourth inning after getting hit with a fastball by Arizona starter Merrill Kelly.
Kelly allowed one unearned run in 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out six while lowering his ERA to 4.86, the lowest it has been since early April.

#inning

CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers placed right-hander Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list with right flexor inflammation.
Flaherty pitched four innings in an 8-6 victory at the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three runs and four hits.
The 30-year-old Flaherty is 3-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 19 starts this season. He finalized a two-year, $35 million contract with Detroit in February 2025.
"It wasn't a clear-cut IL when we woke up this morning, and then as the day went on and the more (opinions) we got, the more we realized he wasn't going to pitch in five or six days," manager A.J. Hinch said.
Ty Madden was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, putting a fresh arm in Detroit's weary bullpen. The right-hander replaced Framber Valdez with two outs in the first and pitched 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in an 11-2 loss at Wrigley Field.

#right #wasn 't

Esmerlyn Valdez Makes MLB History with Clutch Hits, Fueling Pirates' Sweep of Brewers originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Over the weekend, Pirates outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez created a unique slice of MLB doubleheader history at PNC Park.
After clubbing clinching home runs in Games 1 and 2 of Saturday's doubleheader sweep of the Brewers, Valdez became the league's first player to compile four go-ahead hits, including three go-ahead homers, during a twin bill.
In the opener, Valdez launched two homers and drove in a career-best six runs, powering the 7-6 win. The cleanup hitter for much of July, Valdez started the scoring with an RBI single, driving in Jake Mangum, who was hit by Brandon Sproat's 97-mph four-seam fastball.
Breaking a 2-2 tie in the third, the 22-year-old slugger connected on a 421-foot solo homer, and Sproat exited the game after just three innings of work.

The second day of the 2026 MLB draft is underway, and this is where the Tigers can get some good value. Remember, Tarik Skubal went in the ninth round, and Kerry Carpenter was a 19th-rounder, so some of these guys have a chance to make big impacts in Detroit.
It's rare to see players picked in the first 10 rounds not sign, but the second half of the draft is a bit different. Slot values go away, and teams are allowed to offer $150,000 that doesn't work against the bonus pool. Anything over that number comes out of any underslot-signing savings in the first 10 rounds. Usually, you'll see a Hail Mary type pick in the final four or five rounds, and those players don't always end up being signed.
For a refresher, Detroit selected Coastal Carolina right-handed pitcher Cameron Flukey in the first round, Kansas shortstop Tyson LeBlanc in the second round, Florida Gulf Coast two-way Evan Dempsey as a right-handed pitcher in the competitive balance round B and high school shortstop Dominic Pellegrin (Holy Cross HS, LA) in the fourth round. The Tigers did not have a third-round pick due to the signing of Framber Valdez.
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander out of Louisiana Tech, Declan Dahl is an interesting developmental pickup for Detroit.
He spent two seasons with Seminole State (Okla.) at the JUCO level, compiling a 13-6 record, 3.36 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 128.2 innings and 26 appearances (21 starts). Dahl threw four complete games in that time and had a 10.00 K/9 over that time, too.

The second day of the 2026 MLB draft is underway, and this is where the Tigers can get some good value. Remember, Tarik Skubal went in the ninth round, and Kerry Carpenter was a 19th-rounder, so some of these guys have a chance to make big impacts in Detroit.
It's rare to see players picked in the first 10 rounds not sign, but the second half of the draft is a bit different. Slot values go away, and teams are allowed to offer $150,000 that doesn't work against the bonus pool. Anything over that number comes out of any underslot-signing savings in the first 10 rounds. Usually, you'll see a Hail Mary type pick in the final four or five rounds, and those players don't always end up being signed.
For a refresher, Detroit selected Coastal Carolina right-handed pitcher Cameron Flukey in the first round, Kansas shortstop Tyson LeBlanc in the second round, Florida Gulf Coast two-way Evan Dempsey as a right-handed pitcher in the competitive balance round B and high school shortstop Dominic Pellegrin (Holy Cross HS, LA) in the fourth round. The Tigers did not have a third-round pick due to the signing of Framber Valdez.
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander out of Louisiana Tech, Declan Dahl is an interesting developmental pickup for Detroit.
He spent two seasons with Seminole State (Okla.) at the JUCO level, compiling a 13-6 record, 3.36 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 128.2 innings and 26 appearances (21 starts). Dahl threw four complete games in that time and had a 10.00 K/9 over that time, too.

Rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez has been lighting up the scoreboard since his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On Saturday, the Pirates played a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and won both games largely thanks to their star rookie.
Valdez hit two home runs in Game 1 and followed it up with another dinger in Game 2. The rookie now has 10 home runs in his first 27 games, the most by any Pirates player in their first 27 games.
The rookie started his day with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning. It was his second home run in as many days, which was already impressive.
Valdez came up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning. He quickly cleared them with a grand slam, helping Pittsburgh take the lead.

The Detroit Tigers drafted high school shortstop Dominic Pelligrin from Holy Cross in Louisiana with the No. 125 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. He is the Tigers' fourth selection of the draft and their final selection on Day 1.
The Tigers selected Coastal Carolina right-handed pitcher Cameron Flukey with the No. 22 overall selection in the first round. Flukey, who pitched in the 2025 College World Series final round, is the first pitcher the Tigers have taken in the first round since Jackson Jobe was drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Detroit forfeited its third-round pick after the Framber Valdez signing, since Valdez received a qualifying offer from the Houston Astros before signing with the Tigers ahead of the 2026 season.
RELIVE DAY 1: Detroit Tigers MLB Draft 2026 tracker: Who has Scott Harris picked?
The Tigers have four Day 1 draft picks, with their first-round pick landing at No. 22 overall.

The white-hot Detroit Tigers went for the home sweep of a three-game weeknight series against the Homeless A’s on Thursday evening, after winning the first two games in fun fashion. They made it eight wins in the past nine games with a 4-1 win to complete the sweep.
It was Framber Valdez’s turn in the rotation, and to say his season to date has been a mixed bag is one heck of an understatement. His previous two starts saw him give up four runs in six innings at home against his former Astros teammates, and six runs in five innings in Texas. His stock-in-trade is ground ****** , and when he’s on he gets a lot of ‘em: for example, his June 16 start in Houston saw him get a dozen ground ****** and half that many fly ****** , and he gave up one unearned run in six innings.
José Suarez took the mound for the A’s as an opener. He made his debut in 2019 with the Angels, but he’s had eventful few months lately: waived by Atlanta and picked up by Baltimore in mid-January, then waived by Baltimore and picked back up by Atlanta at the end of January. He was waived again by Atlanta in early May, was picked up by the Mariners, made one relief appearance for them, and had his contract purchased by the A’s less than two weeks later. This guy gets more Frequent Flyer miles than George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air. That was a solid movie.
Valdez struck out the side in the first and got a pair of ground ****** in the second, so he looked to be on-track early. Suarez stuck around for the first four outs and departed in favour of Jack Perkins, whose past few starts haven’t gone so well, so why not try an opener? He got the next two outs so the early returns looked promising for Sacramento.
That changed with one out in the third, though: Jake Rogers, starting for the injured-but-not-on-the-IL Dillon Dingler, hit his second home run in as many days, putting the Tigers up 1-0.

The News' Andrew Graham gives his quick takes on the Tigers' 4-1 victory over the Athletics on Thursday:
Detroit found itself in a pitcher's duel — Framber Valdez vs. a bullpen game for the Athletics — on Thursday, but boy did the Tigers make the hits count to stake out a lead, twice, via the long ball.
Jake Rogers hit a home run on back-to-back days with his solo shot in the third inning, as he makes the start for Dillon Dingler after his hand injury Wednesday. That was Detroit's only hit until Zach McKinstry came up in the bottom of the fifth inning with Kerry Carpenter on first base via a walk.
Working from a 3-0 to 3-2 count, McKinstry got a fast ball low and down the middle and pummeled it out to right center field. That put Detroit up, 3-1, at the time, right after giving up a run in the top of the inning — Valdez had taken a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
Slugging and hitting the long ball, specifically, has been a boost for the Detroit offense as the Tigers work out of this hole in the standings, and it's especially valuable if you're only going to manage a few hits.

Mike Yastrzemski hit a game-sealing grand slam in the ninth inning, Matt Olson hit a first-inning home run while tying the franchise record for consecutive games played and the Atlanta Braves defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-5 on Thursday.
The Braves were leading 6-5 when Yastrzemski connected off Dennis Santana for his third career slam.
Olson’s homer was a solo shot and his 25th season, opening the scoring. The first baseman played in his 740th straight game, going back to the start of the 2022 season, and tied the mark set by Dale Murphy from 1982-86.
Atlanta’s Jim Jarvis hit his first career home run, connecting for a two-run blast off Cam Sanders in a three-run fourth inning that extended the lead to 6-2. The rookie shortstop had three hits.
Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez hit back-to-back homers in the third to cut the Braves’ lead to 3-2. Jake Mangum had four hits and three RBIs, including a two-run homer in the fourth that brought the Pirates to 6-4 and an RBI double in the sixth that made it a one-run game.

The NFL is a here-and-now kind of league. While a league like the NBA may have the time to “trust the process” and MLB may be content with building their respective farm teams year after year, the NFL doesn’t have that sort of patience. For teams like the Dallas Cowboys whose window is open right now, it’s all about 2026 so sacrificing for the future isn’t a luxury they currently enjoy.
When building a 53-man roster the Cowboys have to prioritize the present, which means even high-ceiling developmental prospects need to contribute something to the 2026 campaign. This usually involves mandatory service on special teams and/or the ability to slide into a start role if injuries demand it. But one position group that enjoys a star-studded cast of playmakers at the top of the depth chart may be the exception to the rule this year.
The Cowboys wide receiver room this year is quite possibly the best in the NFL. Big names like CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens headline the marquee but breakout candidate Ryan Flournoy ensures depth across all three starting receiver positions. Even gadget-man KaVontae Turpin ensures immediate depth from a down-roster role.
This unnaturally solid top four means the Cowboys might be able gamble a little in the lower ranks. Instead of forcing in veterans like Denzel Mims and Marquez Valdez-Scantling onto the roster for emergency depth or gifting places for special teams’ standouts who don't much of an offensive future, the Cowboys can gamble on potential and do the unthinkable, which is invest in the future.
Anthony Smith, Dallas’ seventh round rookie out of East Carolina, doesn’t have special teams experience in college. Blessed with size and speed, Smith has all the physical traits to be starter one day, but that day probably isn’t coming in 2026.

Despite getting completely and totally blanked for the first six innings of this contest, the Atlanta Braves eventually broke through and ended up pulling off a 3-0 victory in an excellent pitching performance from Grant Holmes and Atlanta's bullpen.
It would be an understatement to call this one a pitchers' duel, as both starters were dominant for the period of time where they were out there. Grant Holmes successfully navigated his way through two trips through the order as he finished with just three hits allowed and one walk conceded across five innings of work and five strikeouts. The slider and cutter were both working pretty effectively for Holmes — everything was working, really, as Holmes picked up two strikeouts on the four-seamer and three on the slider.
The only time that Holmes ran into trouble was in the third inning, which is when he found himself with two runners in scoring position with two outs after he led off the inning hitting Henry Davis and then gave up a two-out single to Bryan Reynolds. Fortunately, Holmes was able to get Esmerlyn Valdez to pop up on a four-seamer and that was that for the scoring chance. That was as close as Pittsburgh got to scoring off of Holmes before he eventually exited the game with 90 pitches after five innings.
As good as Homes was, Jared Jones was better. Jones was just about untouchable against the Braves tonight, as he struck out eight batters without giving up a hit or a walk through six innings of work. Atlanta's lineup couldn't handle him at all, which is why it was probably a huge relief for the Braves once they saw Mason Montgomery walk out for the seventh inning.
The crowd in Pittsburgh disagreed with the decision and they voiced their disapproval after Ozzie Albies ended the combined perfect game bid with a looping single out to left to give the Braves their first hit and baserunner of the game. While Jones has been kind of easing back into things following elbow issues, it certainly took a lot of the neutral intrigue out of the game once it was clear that the Pirates weren't going to let him go for the perfect game.

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.
This night belonged to Ryan O’Hearn.
The Pirates first baseman slugged three home runs and drove in a franchise-record 10 runs to lift Pittsburgh to a 12-4 win over the Braves at PNC Park on Tuesday night.
Top 1st, 1-0 ATL: The Braves (52-38) put together a two-out rally against Paul Skenes (7-8), which was capped off by Mauricio Dubón’s RBI single to right field.
Bottom 1st, 4-1 PIT: The Pirates (47-45) loaded the bases with no outs against Hurston Waldrep (0-1). After Esmerlyn Valdez struck out, Ryan O’Hearn lined a grand slam over the fence in right field, the third slam of his career and his 14th home run this season.