— Pirates 3, Diamondbacks (10)
Brandon Lowe’s third hit of the night was a game-winner.
Merrill Kelly got 17 outs, allowed an unearned run.
These teams are tied for the NL’s last Wild Card spot.
— Marlins 8, Phillies 7
Marlins scored three in the 9th, ended their 12-game losing streak.
Heriberto Hernandez homered, had 3 RBI for Miami.
Phillies are only 3-7 since the All-Star break.
— Rangers 7, Mariners 3
Joc Pederson homered in his first two at-bats of the game.
George Kirby gave up seven runs in four IP.
Kumar Rocker got 20 outs, allowed only four hits.
— Cubs 7, Cardinals 3
Alex Bregman hit a home run and two doubles.
Nico Hoerner had four hits, including a home run.
Cardinals are 1.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot.
— Astros 6, Angels 4
Angels choked away a 4-2 lead in 9th inning, making two errors.
Walbert Urena allowed one run in 6 IP, but the Angels’ bullpen sucks.
Astros moved back into second place in the AL West.
— Giants 3, Brewers 0
Tyler Mahle allowed three hits in his six IP.
Despite the loss, Brewers lead NL Central by six games.
— Famous birthdays, July 28th:
Sally Struthers, 79
Doug Collins, 75
Carmelo Martinez, 66
Elizabeth Berkley, 54
Hannah Waddingham, 52
Manu Ginobili, 49
DeMeco Ryans, 42
Walker Buehler, 32
Trey Yesavage, 23
Malik Nabers, 23
— Get well soon to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was in what sounds like a fairly severe car accident recently. His injuries include:
broken nose
three broken ribs
broke his hand
40+ stitches in his face
severe concussion
Week 1 NFL subplots:
— Since 2005, Week 1 underdogs of 8+ points are 26-9 ATS.
— Jets @ Titans
Robert Saleh is the Titans’ new coach; from 2021-24, he was 20-36 coaching the Jets.
— Packers @ Vikings
Jonathan Gannon is the Packers’ new defensive coordinator; the last three years, he was 15-36 as head coach of the Cardinals, where one of his QB’s was Kyler Murray, who was 13-17 in those three years.
This year, Murray is competing with JJ McCarthy to be Minnesota’s starting QB.
— There are divisional games in Week 1 this season.
— Commanders @ Eagles
Eagles have won eight of their last 11 games vs Washington.
— Jim Bob Cooter is the Colts’ offensive coordinator; he was Peyton Manning’s backup QB in his college days, at Tennessee.
— Patriots @ Seahawks
Third time there is a Super Bowl rematch in Week 1 the next year. Last time was 2016.
— Broncos @ Chiefs
Is Patrick Mahomes healthy enough to play?
Denver won four of its last five games against the Chiefs, with the only loss by two points.
— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Rangers. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Guardians
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Pitt/Ariz
