OLYMPICS
A’ja Wilson scored 20 points and Jackie Young added 15 points to help the U.S. Women’s basketball team beat Nigeria 88-74 in the quarterfinals, extending its record winning streak to 59 consecutive Olympic wins. Breanna Stewart also had 13 for the Americans, who haven’t lost since the 1992 Barcelona Games and are now two victories away from an unprecedented eighth consecutive gold medal. They will face a familiar foe in Australia in the semifinals on Friday night. The Opals routed Serbia 85-67. The other medal round game will feature host France playing Belgium.
U.S. men's basketball coach Steve Kerr knows something unexpected is going to happen when his team plays against Serbia in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics. Maybe Serbia will change its lineup. Maybe Nikola Jokic will play the entire game. Or maybe the surprise will be that there’s no surprise at all. Whatever the case, Kerr knows the Americans have to be ready for anything. Meanwhile, The U.S. men’s basketball team will look to reach the gold-medal game for the 18th time in its 20 Olympic appearances when it faces Serbia in the semifinals of the Paris Games tonight. France will play Germany in the other semifinal.
Quincy Hall became the latest American to electrify Olympic track and field with an out-of-nowhere comeback, sprinting from far behind in the 400 meters to reel in three runners and capture the gold medal. Hall, buried in fourth place as the runners rounded the last bend, outran the runner on his outside, then two more to the inside to cross the line in 43.40 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever. Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith finished second and Muzala Samukonga of Zambia finished third. Hall is the first American since LaShawn Merritt in 2008 to win the one-lap race. His victory came an evening after American Cole Hocker came from behind late to beat the favorites in the men’s 1500.
Boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan has advanced to the gold-medal bout in the women’s featherweight division at the Paris Olympics. She beat Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey 5:0 for her third consecutive victory in the tournament while dealing with widespread scrutiny regarding misconceptions about her gender. Both Lin and Imane Khelif have responded to the scrutiny generated by the International Boxing Association's decision to disqualify them from last year's world championships by going on two of the best runs of their careers in Paris. Lin again used her superior height and technique to beat the more physical Kahraman. Lin will fight for gold on Saturday, taking on Julia Szeremeta of Poland.
Every single thing Simone Biles has done at the Paris Olympics has been spotlighted. She won four medals, had an online feud with a former teammate and a social media post that appeared to take a swipe at presidential candidate Donald Trump. Her TikToks regularly draw millions of views and her revelation that she’d gotten Botox made headlines. Biles is the most decorated gymnast of all-time and America’s golden girl. She has a unique ability to retain her staying power beyond Olympic cycles, in part because of her remarkable career achievements. But it is also her authenticity that has made her relatable, inspirational and liked by millions around the world.
TENNIS
Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the U.S. Open. He announced his withdrawal via social media on Wednesday. It is the third Grand Slam tournament he’s missed this season and raises more questions about his future in tennis at age 38. He has won four of his 22 major championships at Flushing Meadows, most recently in 2019. The draw for the year's last Grand Slam tournament is scheduled for Aug. 22 and play is set to begin Aug. 26. Nadal has not announced anything about a possible retirement, but his age and a recent history of injuries suggest he might not play much longer. He says the Laver Cup in September will be his next event.
MLB
Zach Neto hit his first career grand slam in a six-run second inning off rookie Will Warren and drove in a career-high six runs as the Los Angeles Angels beat the New York Yankees 8-2 for a doubleheader split on Wednesday night. In the first game, New York rookie Luis Gil battled command issues but pitched five scoreless innings of two-hit ball in a 5-2 victory. Neto hit a two-run homer in the seventh of the opener before the best game of his career in the nightcap. Neto added a two-run double in the fourth to give the Angels an 8-1 lead.
Francisco Lindor hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the ninth inning, Jesse Winker had three hits, and the New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Wednesday night. With the game tied 2-2 in the ninth, Lindor singled to left off Colorado’s Victor Vodnik to score Harrison Bader and Ben Gamel, putting the Mets ahead. Winker added a single with two outs to drive in Taylor for a 5-2 lead. The Mets had 11 hits, 10 of which were singles. Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 19 chances.
Bobby Witt Jr. had two homers, a double and four RBIs as the Kansas City Royals beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 Wednesday night and salvaged the final game of a three-game series. Witt had his fourth multi-homer game of the season, getting the Royals on the scoreboard in the first with his 21st homer. Witt’s second homer of the game was a 421-foot blast to center field in the sixth inning. He also added a two-run double. The Royals have homered in 13 consecutive games, tied for the second-longest streak in club history. Cole Ragans (9-7) allowed four runs, one earned, on six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two.
Kyle Schwarber homered three times and tied a career high with seven RBIs in the Philadelphia Phillies' 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night. Schwarber hit his 27th homer of the season leading off the ninth against Michael Grove. It was his second career three-run homer game, the last coming in 2021. The seven RBIs are the most by a Phillies player since Carlos Ruiz had that many against Atlanta in 2012. Schwarber had a three-run blast in the sixth that gave Philadelphia an 8-4 lead. He led off the game with a two-strike shot off Gavin Stone.
Ian Happ and Michael Busch homered and five Chicago pitchers combined for a six-hitter as the Cubs beat the Minnesota Twins 8-2. Javier Assad worked the first four innings and Jorge López (2-2) worked two innings and earned the victory. The Cubs took the last two games of the three-game series and have won six of their last eight. Matt Wallner and Brooks Lee had RBI hits for the Twins.
Josh Bell homered twice and drove in three runs, Eduardo Rodriguez went 5 2/3 innings to win his season debut, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cleveland Guardians 5-3 to sweep a doubleheader. In the first game, Arizona received two-run homers from Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll in a 7-3 victory. The Diamondbacks won their seventh straight series and moved into the first National League wild-card spot. The Guardians extended their longest losing streak of the season to five, but lead the American League Central by 3 1/2 games over Minnesota. Their 35-20 home record remains the best in baseball.
Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson each had two hits and drove in two runs to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 on Wednesday night. Erick Fedde (8-5) pitched five innings for the victory. Willson Contreras and Masyn Winn also had two hits apiece for the Cardinals. After a rocky debut after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox, Fedde rebounded in his first start at home. He allowed a run on four hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his majors-leading 36th save in 39 opportunities. Josh Lowe had two hits for the Rays and scored a run.
Yordan Alvarez hit a 117 mph homer for the Houston slugger’s hardest shot of the season, Yusei Kikuchi struck out eight pitching into the sixth inning and the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 6-4. The victory clinched the season series for the Astros for the eighth consecutive year in a decisive final regular-season meeting. Victor Caratini also went deep while Jeremy Peña, Mauricio Dubón, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman drove in a run apiece for Houston. Marcus Semien hit his 17th homer for Texas.
Armando Alvarez and Zack Gelof hit RBI singles and Lawrence Butler knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly — all in the seventh inning — as the Oakland Athletics rallied past the Chicago White Sox 3-2. The White Sox lost their 10th straight series, one day after ending their American League record-tying 21-game losing streak. Chicago (28-89) hasn’t won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak from June 27-29. The White Sox fell to 8-24 in one-run games and 0-67 when trailing after seven innings. Oakland (48-68) improved to 5-1-1 in its last seven series. Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer for Chicago.
Anthony Santander hit two home runs and made a spectacular catch while Jackson Holliday added a two-run homer of his own to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 on Wednesday night. The switch-hitting Santander went deep in the first inning and then launched a solo shot from the other side of the plate in the eighth. The homers were his 33rd and 34th, a career high. Santander leads MLB with 25 home runs since the start of June. Holliday went deep for the third straight game for the Orioles, who lead the majors with 178 home runs.
Tarik Skubal allowed two runs over seven innings, Parker Meadows made a homer-saving catch in the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2. Skubal was overpowering in stretches. The 27-year-old left-hander allowed three hits, struck out nine and continued to strengthen his resume in the AL Cy Young Award conversation. But Meadows' catch will be the lasting image of the game as Seattle dropped out of first place in the AL West. With Seattle trailing 3-2 in the eighth, Cal Raleigh's bid for a second home run in the game was denied by Meadows at the wall in center field. Detroit added three more runs in the ninth inning.
Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman hit fifth-inning solo homers to break a 3-3 tie and the San Francisco Giants beat the Washington Nationals 7-4. Ramos homered for the second straight game, and Chapman finished a triple short of the cycle for the Giants, who have won nine of 12. Mike Yastrzemski added a solo homer and an RBI triple. Blake Snell, coming off a no-hitter against the A’s in his last start, gave up three runs on four hits over six innings, retiring the last nine hitters he faced.
Derek Hill’s grand slam capped a five-run first inning and Marlins starter Valente Bellozo threw a shutout into the sixth as Miami held off a a late Reds rally to beat Cincinnati 6-4. Hill drove a fastball from Reds starter Andrew Abbott 412 feet to center on Wednesday after Jonah Bride singled and Jesus Sanchez and Otto Lopez walked. It was the left fielder’s fourth homer of the season and first as a Marlin. He had been claimed on waivers on Saturday from the Giants. Jake Burger homered twice for Miami, while T.J. Friedl's grand slam for the Reds in seventh made the game close. Bellozo picked up his first career win.
Blake Perkins was 3 for 5 with three RBIs and the Milwaukee Brewers had 16 hits in an 8-5 victory over the slumping Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night. Joey Ortiz went 3 for 5 with a double, two RBIs and a run to help the NL Central-leading Brewers beat the Braves for the second straight game to open the series. Gary Sánchez was 2 for 5 with two runs and an RBI. Jackson Chourio and Rhys Hoskins had three hits each as the Brewers had 24 baserunners. The Braves have lost four straight and have dropped into the NL’s third wild-card slot after leading the wild-card race for much of the season.
Jackson Merrill had two homers, Xander Bogaerts singled in the go-ahead run in a three-run 10th inning and the San Diego Padres held on for a 9-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. Bogaerts led off the 10th with a line drive to left field off Colin Holderman, scoring automatic runner Luis Arraez. The Padres tacked on two runs on a sacrifice fly by Manny Machado and an error on catcher Yasmani Grandal. The Pirates cut the lead with a bases-loaded walk by Tanner Scott and a wild pitch by Adrian Morejon. Scott took the win, and Morejon earned his first career save.
NFL
The NFL Preseason gets underway tonight with Detroit at the N.Y. Giants at 7 p.m. and Carolina is at New England 7 p.m.
The debate about whether the NFL will expand the regular season once again seems to have been resolved and now it’s a matter of how soon the league adds an 18th game. Commissioner Roger Goodell has talked openly about it, union chief Lloyd Howell recently told the Washington Post that the NFLPA is open to doing it before the current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2030 season. Players seem resigned to the inevitability no matter how they might personally feel. The bigger question now might be what concessions can players get to agree to a longer season.
NCAA
The NCAA says former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had impermissible contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has handed him a four-year show-cause order if he wants to return to college coaching. The NCAA says Harbaugh engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations. Harbaugh left the national-championship winning Wolverines to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. The NCAA has already given Michigan three years of probation, a fine and recruiting limits in the same case.
NFL
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said Wednesday he was “very intentional” in the comments he made during a polarizing college commencement speech in May and that he stands behind what he said then. During the speech at a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, the three-time Super Bowl champion told the graduating class that most of the women receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children, and that some Catholic leaders were “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.” Butker also assailed Pride month and President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion.
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