
Brandon Pfaadt wins 11th as D-backs take down Padres
Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two hits and two RBIs apiece as the Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to three games following a six-game losing streak that precipitated their trade deadline moves.
Locklear, obtained from Seattle in the Eugenio Suarez deadline deal, hit his first homer in his fourth game in Arizona. Thomas homered in the ninth and had his fourth straight multi-hit game.
Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth had two of the Padres' six hits and both RBIs.
The Padres had won seven of eight.
Pfaadt (11-7) gave up two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings, leaving after Cronenworth's single made it 5-2 in the sixth. He struck out four and walked three in his second victory over the Padres this season. He was 11-10 last year.
Luis Arraez was 0-for-3 with a walk, ending his career-high 16-game hitting streak. He struck out swinging against Pfaadt in the fifth.
Kyle Backhus pitched two innings for his first career save.
JP Sears (7-10) gave up five runs on 10 hits in five innings in his first start for the Padres after being obtained at the deadline. He struck out four and walked one.
The Diamondbacks scored in each of the first four innings off Sears and led 5-1 after five.
Gurriel followed singles by Ketel Marte and Carroll with an RBI single in the first, and Carroll's sacrifice fly in the second made it 2-0.
Merrill and Machado wired two-out doubles with two outs in the third, the first hits off Pfaadt, to make it 2-1.
Locklear's homer with one out in the third was measured at 393 feet for a 3-1 lead. His previous two homers came in his 16-game look with the Mariners last June.
Carroll and Gurriel drove in runs in the fourth to make it 5-1.
--Field Level Media

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Reuters
7 minutes ago
- Reuters
Red Sox eager for another big inning vs. Royals
August 5 - The Boston Red Sox will attempt to extend their winning streak to seven games when they face the visiting Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Boston opened the three-game series with an 8-5 victory on Monday. The Red Sox scored five runs in the first inning after scoring six times in the fourth of a 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday. "We're not chasing as much, we're not striking out," Boston manager Alex Cora said. "We're putting the ball in play. We're running the bases extremely well, too. ... We've been really good the past three weeks baserunning-wise, and that puts pressure on the opposition." Boston particularly has been tough at home. The Monday victory gave the Red Sox 13 wins in their past 14 games at Fenway Park. "When we're rolling, this place is another weapon for us, so it's just been awesome to see the fans get behind us and help us with this push," said Boston's Jarren Duran, who hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Royals starter Bailey Falter. "I think we just have to keep our heads down and keep working, because I feel like that's what we've been doing all year and it's showing." After Kansas City scored four runs in the eighth to make it an 8-5 game, Nick Loftin ran through a stop sign and was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the inning. Had Loftin stayed at third, the Royals would have had the bases loaded with Vinnie Pasquantino at the plate. Pasquantino homered earlier in the frame. "I talked to him in the dugout," Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said of Loftin. "You gotta understand the game situation at that point. He's trying to be aggressive. He probably got a little carried away knowing there were two outs. "Normally you would take chances with two outs, but when you're down by three and you're getting the go-ahead run to the plate right there, you gotta stay at third. It's a mental mistake and he won't make that again." Boston won't have outfielder Roman Anthony in the lineup on Tuesday. Anthony was a late scratch Monday due to back tightness, and Cora said he planned to rest the rookie on Tuesday. "Everything felt normal all day and I felt something as I was stretching on the line," Anthony said. "Just figured we'd be cautious with it and was super uncomfortable. I relayed that quickly, and we decided we were going to shut it down. "I'll get with the training staff and figure that out, but I'm already definitely trending in the right direction and feeling better than it was earlier." The Red Sox appear to be in a good position to build on their winning streak since left-hander Garrett Crochet (12-4, 2.23 ERA) -- Boston's ace -- is scheduled to start on Tuesday. Crochet is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA in eight career appearances (two starts) against the Royals. He won at Kansas City on May 10 after throwing seven innings of one-run ball and striking out nine. Rookie right-hander Ryan Bergert (1-0, 2.78) is scheduled to make his Royals debut. Bergert, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres just before the trade deadline last week, will be making his first career appearance against Boston. Bergert made 11 appearances (seven starts) for the Padres this season, and he recorded 34 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings. --Field Level Media


The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Eddie Hearn reveals odds of Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul happening after ‘hour meeting'
Anthony Joshua 's promoter Eddie Hearn has insisted a fight between the former heavyweight champion and YouTuber Jake Paul is a 'very real' possibility, putting the odds at '50/50'. Joshua, who is eyeing his next fight after undergoing elbow surgery in spring, has been linked to Paul in recent weeks, as the latter eyes another huge crossover bout. In November, the 28-year-old American beat heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, 58, on points, while most recently he outpointed ex-world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June. Meanwhile, Joshua's last fight was a knockout defeat by fellow Briton Daniel Dubois in September, as 'AJ' failed to regain heavyweight gold. 'This is very real,' Hearn told The Ring on Monday (4 August), referencing a potential Joshua vs Paul fight. 'I had a good chat for about an hour with Nakisa [Bidarian, Paul's adviser] on [30 July], and now I believe they want the fight. I really do. Nakisa was very honest, and he's concerned about the fight, but Jake truly believes he can win the fight or at least be competitive in it. 'And now because of the size of the fight, it leads me to believe there's a very good chance it could happen. If I had to rate that chance, I would say it's 50/50. It was a very positive conversation, and we expect that conversation to extend over the coming weeks. If they really want it, it will happen. 'There wouldn't be such a huge difference [in size]. Jake would be a heavyweight on the night. But look, I can't even necessarily justify it to you. It's a mismatch in my opinion, it's dangerous in my opinion, but this is a guy... a cruiserweight who will be a heavyweight. 'I think Joshua is probably yet to get his head round it, until he knows that it's a possibility. After my call this week, I'd say it's definitely a possibility. AJ understands the commercial world and will look at this and see that it's huge. 'It would probably be the biggest fight that could ever happen anywhere. It would be right up there with his biggest purses ever. You can talk about the boxing world, but this would be the outer world. 'I said to Nakisa the other day that this is about the fear factor. This is dangerous. This is like tuning in to watch [magician] David Blaine but much more dangerous and much more real. You're not trying to escape from a box in three minutes, you're in there with one of the biggest punchers of all time, and it isn't a game. 'It's never [that] I've called for or told people we're targeting this, but I do also understand the colossal size of this fight commercially – and probably the appetite from a lot of people to evaporate Jake Paul from the boxing world. That is probably what this does.' Paul is 12-1 as a professional with seven knockout wins, his sole loss having come against Tommy Fury – half-brother of heavyweight Tyson Fury – in 2023. Joshua's record sits at 28-4 (25 KOs), with the former two-time world heavyweight champion, 35, still desiring another title run before he hangs up his gloves. Joshua's current trainer Ben Davison said recently that he would not like to see AJ box Paul, telling Boxing Scene: 'I don't like all that. First and foremost, how can people even talk about that? Two, where's the safety aspect in boxing? 'Do you know what I mean? There is a serious risk with something going wrong. Unfortunately, it might take something like that for people to be like, 'Hold on, we've got to reconfigure this'. But somebody would pass it, someone would allow it, somebody would sanction it.'


The Guardian
37 minutes ago
- The Guardian
NFL preseason storylines: Cowboys chaos, the Browns‘ QB circus and Aaron Rodgers' last dance
Leave it to Jerry Jones to stink up the most optimistic time of year. The Cowboys owner has once again fumbled a contract negotiation with one of his stars. Despite fellow 2021 draftees Penei Sewell, Patrick Surtain II and Ja'Marr Chase signing long-term extensions, the Cowboys have allowed talks with Parsons to drag on. Last week, Parsons accused Jones of trying to circumvent his agent in negotiations and formally requested a trade. It's fun to imagine Parsons on the trade block. What kind of haul could the Cowboys get in a trade? Three first-round picks? Two? Would the Bills make a move? The Rams? Is there a team that wouldn't call? But let's be clear: Parsons isn't going anywhere. 'It's a negotiating tactic,' Jones said after Parsons' request. For once, Jerry is right. Myles Garrett submitted a trade request to the Browns in February. A month later, he signed a $160m extension. In a league with the franchise tag, a public trade request is one of the only levers a player can pull in negotiations. Parsons is simply playing his part in the public charade. This shouldn't be difficult. As a pass-rusher, Parsons is a one-man inferno. At times last season, he single-handedly bailed out Dallas' defense. Oh, and he is just 26 years old, slap-bang in his prime. Negotiations should have been as simple as putting the biggest non-quarterback contract in league history on the table and popping the champagne. Yet Jones has spent the offseason taking odd shots at his best player, from questioning (incorrectly) Parsons' injury history, to freezing his agent out of discussions, to debating why he would sign any player to a four or five-year contract. 'You can get hit by a car, seriously,' Jones said at one point. Seriously. By allowing talks to drag on, the Cowboys have watched Parsons' value creep up. The edge-rushing market has ballooned this offseason, first with Garrett and then TJ Watt signing a massive extension. Last year, the Cowboys could have locked Parsons into a deal worth $34m a year. Now, the price will be closer to $42m. The Cowboys will eventually cave – as they always do. They'll agree on a new deal on the eve of the new season, after lighting their training camp on fire and scoring Jones some headlines. The Vikings have a championship-caliber roster. They have elite skill players. They are loaded on both sides of the line of scrimmage. They have a top-five coaching staff. The only lingering question: their quarterback. How McCarthy slots into the Vikings' offense is perhaps the most important variable in the championship race. The No 10 pick in the 2024 draft missed his rookie season with a knee injury, while Sam Darnold caught fire in relief – until he didn't. Minnesota could have run it back with Darnold after a 14-win season, giving them a buffer to the McCarthy era. They didn't. They bet on their infrastructure, allowing Darnold to walk and clearing the path for McCarthy. It's a risk. Multiple playoff wins should be the expectation this year. And if McCarthy can be a solid starter in his debut season, the Vikings will have legitimate title aspirations. If you asked the computer to simulate the perfect circumstances for a first-year starter, it would probably produce something like what the Vikings offer. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has consistently produced high-wattage passing attacks, helping to generate easy chunk plays regardless of who is at quarterback. Justin Jefferson is the game's best receiver, Jordan Addison is a solid second option and tight end TJ Hockenson is a difference-maker when healthy. Minnesota also spent the bulk of the offseason upgrading both lines, notably adding Ryan Kelly and Will Fries from the Colts on the offensive side, one of the craftiest interior line tandems in the league. If there were deficiencies last year, it was the team's run game and conceding pressure up the middle. The new duo, along with rookie Donovan Jackson, should help patch over those issues. There were changes on defense, too. Brian Flores' wackadoodle scheming carried the Vikings through tough stretches last season. This year, his unit is deeper and more explosive, with veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave offering extra punch up front. The Vikings can now toggle between Flores's bizarro looks and more basic set-ups, and should challenge the Eagles and Broncos to be the top defense in the league. If McCarthy does nothing but limit turnovers, the Vikings should keep pace with the rest of the NFC North. They will hope for more than that, but hammering away with the run game, hitting play-action shots and letting the defense feast is a viable path to the postseason. McCarthy thrived in that same environment at Michigan. If he plays with accuracy and keeps the offense churning, the Vikings will be a playoff force. What can you say about the Browns? There are banana republics with more stable leadership than Cleveland. It's early August, so it's not a full-scale disaster … yet. But the training camp reports make for grim reading. For a team in desperate need of a viable long-term starter, double-dipping on quarterbacks in the draft made sense. But the Browns now have a bloated quarterback competition, featuring 40-year-old Joe Flacco, a limping Kenny Pickett, and two underbaked rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. No pressure, Kevin Stefanski (on Monday night, reports emerged they are signing a fifth quarterback, Tyler Huntley, because all of the unit bar Flacco are carrying injuries). Flacco is the nominal starter, despite team owner Jimmy Haslam saying he expects to see both rookies play at some point this season. Gabriel has received a ton of practice reps with the first team, but the early returns have been scattershot at best. Cleveland may hold on to all four quarterbacks into the regular season, unless one of the rookies grabs the starting gig in preseason, freeing up the team to move on from Pickett or Flacco. Chucking rookie quarterbacks into the mayhem to figure out what you have sounds like a fine idea until they line up behind a depleted group. Whoever winds up as the starter will be playing with an ad hoc roster: the offensive line is a mixture of fossilized former Pro Bowlers and projects; there is a lack of reliable pass-catchers outside of Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku. If you're looking for positives, watch the defense. The Browns have plenty of talent on that side of the ball, but even some of that has already been stripped away by injuries and a late retirement. It's shaping up to be a messy year. Once, the Browns were fun upstarts. Now, they're a depressing mystery again. If the team stumbles early, Stefanski could be out of a job by Thanksgiving. Speaking of hot seats. Mike McDaniel's seat in Miami is pretty toasty. After reaching the playoffs twice in McDaniel's first two seasons, the Dolphins fell apart last season. They were undone by injuries again, only this time it was the defense that disintegrated. They did little in the offseason to fill you with confidence. Terron Armstead, the team's franchise left tackle, retired. The offensive line still looks rickety. Jalen Ramsey was traded. Tyreek Hill kept up his on-again, off-again relationship with a trade request, although now he's committed to studying. Miami's offense will continue to produce fireworks, thanks largely to McDaniel, Hill, Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane. And on paper, at least, the Dolphins have one of the most talented defensive front-sevens in the sport. Jaelen Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Zach Sieler, Chop Robinson and Kenneth Grant could form one of the nastiest pass-rushes in the league. Still, the balance of the remaining roster is dicey. Heading into the season, Miami's secondary is the flakiest position group in the league. Acquiring Minkah Fitzpatrick in the Ramsey trade will help, but he is the group's only proven starter. They already lost their top cornerback, Kader Kohou, for the season with a knee injury. Miami brought in Mike Hilton from the scrapheap to replace Kohou and will rely on Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis, two safeties with shaky injury records, to play alongside Fitzpatrick. Storm Duck, currently slated to start, was a fun story a year ago as an undrafted free agent, but he was torched in meaningful snaps as a rookie. You know you're in trouble when Jack Jones, a fringe starter, goes from unemployed to a team's premier corner in 10 days. The hope is that the team's pass-rush will be so overwhelming that it can mitigate the impact of the secondary. But, at some point, it will be third-and-medium and someone in the secondary will need to make a play. Only Fitzpatrick is a dynamic playmaker, and he is on the downside of his career. The Dolphins haven't won a playoff game since 2000. If they miss the postseason again, McDaniel will probably be out. And the current roster has too many holes to be a serious threat to the Bills in the East. Take a look at the NFC West. It's stacked, comfortably the most competitive division in the league. The Rams came close to bouncing the Eagles in the playoffs last season with a young roster and have reloaded this year. The Niners remade their defense after last season's injury apocalypse. The Cardinals are no longer just an interesting side show; they have a bruising offense and a spicy defense. The Seahawks closed last season strong, putting together a top-five defense from Week 10 onwards, and could have one of the best units in the league this season. There are no slouches. The weakest single unit in the division may be the Seahawks' offense, and that could still crack the top half of the league. How the division shakes out will probably come down to how quickly Darnold can assimilate in Seattle. Was his career-best year in Minnesota a mirage? Will his talented but unproven offensive line hold up? Can a receiver room of Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jaxon Smith-Njigba offset the losses of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett? As ever, there are also the annual concerns about Matthew Stafford's injury status to throw into the NFC mix. But if Darnold's resurgence carries over and Stafford is healthy, then all four teams will have quality starting quarterbacks and spiky defenses. It's going to be a bloodbath. Buckle up, folks. You have one more season of Rodgers to deal with. Yes, Rodgers in Pittsburgh could be a farce. It probably will be a farce. The Steelers' decision to sign a 41-year-old Rodgers, who is two years removed from an achilles injury, after Pittsburgh *deep breath* traded for DK Metcalf, signed the receiver to a bumper extension, traded away George Pickens, benched Justin Fields for Russell Wilson, then told Fields that he was Their Guy, then told Wilson to take the first plane out of town, then lost Fields in free agency, then traded for Jalen Ramsey, then signed TJ Watt to a market-resetting extension is the kind of teenager-on-Madden approach to team-building usually reserved for the Jaguars, Panthers or the son of a Jets owner. It is weird to reach this point: somehow, the vaunted Steelers have become the league's most directionless franchise. But the Steelers are convinced they have the backbone of a championship contender. 'We're building this team to win a Super Bowl this year,' GM Omar Khan said recently. It's easy to chuckle at the Steelers assembling a 2022 All-Pro squad (hand up). But there's a path to at least division contention here. If Ramsey is even 70% of the player he was in his prime, he will be a linchpin on an already outstanding defense. Whether the offense can match the defense will come down to Rodgers' connection with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, two stubborn offensive designers with divergent styles. Rodgers probably won't guide the Steelers to a Super Bowl. He looked a shadow of himself last season: hesitant to stand in the pocket, worried about getting hit, unable to avoid the rush as his accuracy dwindled to key parts of the field. But if Rodgers can stay healthy, he could perhaps Peyton Manning his way through a final season, keeping the Steelers competitive as they try to bridge one team to the next. If the on-field stuff turns out to be a disaster, his lasting legacy in Pittsburgh may be convincing Mike Tomlin that more substantive changes are needed.