Better late than never!
Quick headlines: ARG wins Copa. ESP wins Euro. Djokovic loses to Alcaraz in Wimbledon. Krejcikova outlasts Paolini on the women’s side. College football media days have begun so thats why you’re seeing CFB in the news. MLB ASG and Home Run Derby this week as well as the British Open (aka the Open Championship in golf).
Baseball – MLB:
- This week in the MLB:
- On Monday the Twins took the game til 11th inning agianst thw White Sox but get the win by 2. That is their 8th win against the White Sox. The Braves also beat the Diamondbacks in the 11th but by 1. They rallied with a HR in the 9th to tie it up befor3e winning.
- The Nationals won 2 games this week against the Brewers to stop their 5 game losing streak. The Pirates beat the Brewers by 10, with a score of 12-2. Thet got a grand slam and 5 different Pirates hit a HR. Braves P Chris Sale got his 12th win, against the Dbacks on Tuesday, which leads the league.
- Sticking with Ps crushing it, Astros P Valdez struck out a season high 10 in their win over the Marlins 9-1 on Wed. The Royals played a double header that day and won both against the Cardinals. Perez got a HR in both games. The Twins/White Sox also played a double header – due to rain. They split the results. The Whits Sox took game 1 3-1 and the Twins got game 2 3-2. Super similar scores.
- The Astros would also win over the Marlins on Thursday too for their 9th straight home win. They get this one 6-3. The Tigers upset the Guardians BIG time, beating the AL-Central leading team 10-1. Pirates P Skenes pitched 7 no hit innings, striking out 11, before being pulled. Oh and he was also named a starter for the ASG. The Cubs swept the Orioles in a big upset including a final game of 8-0. To top that, the Mariners won 11-0 over the angels. On the flip side, the Yankees have lost their 8th straight series.
- On Friday, Ohtani saved the Dodgers in the 9th inning by hitting a double which helped bring in a run to secure the win. That win ended their 4 game losing streak. Although they would go on to lose the next 2 as well. Astros star Altuve hit a 3-run HR to beat their in-state and reigning WS champs, Rangers 6-3. The A’s might be in last place but they got the upset over the Phillies on Friday 6-2. The Nationals beat the Brewers 5-2 to end their 5-game losing streak. Things got heated in the Yankees/Orioles game. In the final half of an inning, Orioles OF Heston Kjerstad was hit by a pitch in almost the ear by a 97mph ball. That brought players off the benches and there was some pushing and shoving. The Yankees ultimately got the win 4-1. Not only that but the Orioles would lose the series to the Yankees too.
- The Royals lost their game on the weekend which ended their 4 game win streak. Two games went into the 10th. The Astros lost to the Rangers when Semien hit a lead off HR in the 10th. The Tigers broke the hearts of Dodgers fans after scoring 7-runs in 2 innings to win 11-9 in the 10th in an absolutely wild game! Red Sox 3B Devers hit a HR and broke a seat in Fenway as the BOS team beats Royals 5-4. The A’s put up 18 runs against the Phillies to beat them twice this week! Butler had 3 HRs
Basketball:
- The Basketball Tournament is this week. If you don’t know that that is, it is a tournament of 64 teams, single elimination (think March Madness). It was started back in 2014.
Golf:
- Keegan Bradley has been named as US Ryder Cup Captain. Get ready to see a lot of news around picking those teams as they get closer.
- The Open Champion will now get a record $3.1MM in the biggest purse ever for the event.
- There were two tournaments going on for the PGA Tour. One in Scotland and the other in Kentucky. SCO Robert MacIntyre won the Genesis Scottish Open, normally considered the best prep to the Open and one of the deepest fields. He is the first SCO to win the Scottish Open in 25 years. He beat Adam Scott to do it with a birdie on the final hole. The other tournament was the ISCO Championship which Harry Hall wins on the 3rd playoff hole with a birdie.
- ESP was not only successful on the soccer field but also on the golf course. In the LIV event at Andalucia, Sergio Garcia won his first LIV event. He won in a playoff against Lahiri after tying it up with him and then winning in a playoff. His Fireballs team also won the team event.
Olympic Sports:
- EGY cyclist Shahd Saied has been removed form the Olympic list after a video surfaced on social media of her pushing one of her competitors to the ground during their national championship in April. The competitor said she was attacked and suffered a broken collarbone and a concussion. Saied was originally given a one year ban from local competition so it raised some questions when she was named to the Olympic team. However, that has now been revoked.
- Tadej Pogacar is still in the yellow jersey and won the super tough stage 15 (climbing stage). That was his 3rd stage win this TdF and 7th career win in the Pyrenees.
Soccer:
- The Copa America final was nuts on and off the field and that fit the tone of the tournament. ARG scored in the 112th minute of the game to finally win the entire tournament. But it wasn’t the big name we all know that got the game winning goal. Lionel Messi went out of the game in the 2H the 64th minute to be exact with an ankle injury and if you’re one of those non-soccer fans and think he might’ve been faking, check out this photo. Lautaro Martinez was the hero of this game and gives the country their 16th COPA title, the most of any country. It is also their 3rd straight major title after winning the Copa in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022.
- COL federation president and his son were arrested at Hard Rock stadium and have been charged with 3 felonies of battery on an official/employee.
- ESP beat ENG in the final for the Euro 2024. This was their 4th Euro win which breaks the tie with GER for the most by any one country. There were no goals in the 1H although it felt like ESP was winning the game. They would cash in early in the 2H though with their first goal at just 2 minutes in. ENG would then tie it up at the 73rd Then just 4 minutes before the end of regulation, Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winning goal to take the whole tournament 2-1.
Tennis:
- We have a new Wimbledon champion and a familiar face. Alcaraz beat Djokovic in straight sets for his second Wimbledon. While on the women’s side, we figured it wasn’t going to be a huge name after so many got knocked out earlier. Paolini was the top ranked player to make the later rounds, however Krejcikova out played her in the final. She won the first set 6-2 then dropped the next with the same score but finished it out 6-4. This is the CZE first Wimbledon title but her 2nd GS (2021 French open).
What to Watch:
Baseball – MLB:
- Mon 7/15
- Home Run Derby @ 7:30pm on FOX
- Tues 7/16
- All Star Game @ 7pm on FOX
Basketball – Team USA:
- Thurs 7/18
- Team USA Showcase: USA vs SRB @ 10pm on FS1
- Sat 7/20
- Team USA Showcase: USA vs South Sudan @ 6pm on FS1
- WNBA: All-Star Game @ 7:30pm on ABC
- Sun 7/21
- The BBall Tournament – Round of 32 @ 3pm (5pm and 7pm) on FS1
Golf:
- Thurs 7/18
- The Open – Round 1 @ 3am on USA
- Fri 7/19
- The Open – Round 2 @ 3am on USA
- Sat 7/20
- The Open – Round 3
- @ 4pm on USA
- @ 7am on NBC
- The Open – Round 3
- Sun 7/21
- The Open – Final Round
- @ 3am on USA
- @ 7am on NBC
- LPGA: Dana Open – Final Round @ 1pm om CBS
- The Open – Final Round
Olympic Sports:
- Sat 7/20
- Tour de France Recap @ 3pm on NBC
- Sailing: SF Grand Final @ 2pm on CBS
Soccer:
- Wed 7/17
- MLS: Nashville SC vs Orlando City SC @ 7:30pm on FS1
- MLS: LA FC vs Real Salt Lake @ 9:30pm on FS1
- Sat 7/20
- MLS: Sporting KC vs St. Louis City @ 7:30pm on FS1
- MLS: LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers @ 9:30pm on FS1
- Sun 7/21
- USL: Oakland Roots vs Sacramento Republic @ 3pm on CBS
