NFL

Titans sign S Jamal Adams to one-year contract

Monetary terms for this deal weren’t released, but I’m assuming it’s an inexpensive one.

It’s been a wild ride for Adams, still 28. The safety was arguably the best in the league at his position five years ago, but was then traded from the Jets to the Seahawks for a bounty, and slowly tapered off after that. It’s rare for a player to decline so abruptly during his prime years, and for Adams, it’s possible he’s been too invested in his personal brand.

Adams was solid when healthy in 2023, so perhaps he still has some to offer to a Tennessee team in need of help at the position.

Grade: B

NBA

Suns sign SF Josh Okogie to two-year, $16 million contract

The second year of this pact is non-guaranteed. Okogie is a strong defender, giving him value on a franchise that starts Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in the backcourt. The problem with Okogie, though, is a lack of ability on the other end of the floor, squeezing him in as just a one-way contributor. Phoenix, already financially strapped, overpaid here, even if it’s nominally a one-year deal.

Grade: D+

Timberwolves sign SG Daishen Nix to two-way contract

We’re already at the point of the NBA offseason where two-way deals merit mention. Just 22, Nix has some upside remaining, but he’s not worth a two-way roster spot. The guard lacks burst, can’t shoot and doesn’t take great care of the basketball. The Timberwolves are wasting their time here.

Grade: D-

MLB

Tigers 10, Guardians 1

The Tigers haven’t developed or imported a ton of good hitters in recent years, but Riley Greene — and Matt Vierling, to a lesser extent — has been a success story. The 23-year-old outfielder continues to get better and better, and finished 3-for-4 with three RBI in this game.

I’m being a downer here, but why on Earth was David Fry an All-Star? Fry — and the Guardians — has been a fun story this season, but he has fewer than 200 at-bats and there were better candidates on other clubs. Fry played first base and went 0-for-4 yesterday.

Reds 8, Rockies 1

Rece Hinds isn’t in the same ballpark of prospects as Jay Bruce was, but Hinds’ early success is reminding me of Bruce’s scorching start to his career in 2008. Hinds still has to stack a few more great games to reach Bruce territory, but he has a 1.688 OPS through four games.

Hunter Greene is having a breakout season and was rewarded recently, being named an All-Star replacement. In this contest, the hard-throwing righty pitched six innings and permitted just one earned run.

Mets 7, Nationals 0

Brandon Nimmo keeps hitting like a guy that knows he should’ve made his first All-Star team. After homering in three consecutive games, Nimmo went 1-for-4 with three RBI in this tilt. I was wrong on Nimmo. I viewed the 31-year-old as a career fourth outfielder when he was promoted to MLB, but he’s been much, much more than that, accumulating 23.2 career WAR.

The postseason never felt like a realistic possibility for the Nats, but Washington is cratering — now 42-52. The rest of the season for the Nationals will be about the development of the club’s young talent. One of those youngsters, MacKenzie Gore, surrendered four earned runs in this affair.

Pirates 1, Brewers 0

Paul Skenes might be one of one. It’s quite possible last year’s No. 1 overall pick will regress to human form at some point, but maybe not. Through 11 big-league starts, Skenes has yet to be credited with a loss, and boasts a 1.90 ERA. Again, maybe this doesn’t last forever, but considering Skenes’ seven no-hit frames yesterday, Pittsburgh might have one of baseball’s best pitchers on its hands.

With Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones in the rotation and under team control at generous rates, the Pirates should be aggressive in the coming years acquiring offensive help. The window is open for Pittsburgh.

Blue Jays 5, Giants 3

There hasn’t been much to smile about in Toronto this season, but Spencer Hortwiz’s hitting has been a joy. The second baseman went 2-for-5 with a home run in this game, raising his average to .322.

Teams are starting to figure out Jordan Hicks as a starter. The former reliever breezed through the first two or so months of 2024, but it’s been tough sledding for the 27-year-old of late. In this game, against a bad Blue Jays offense, Hicks allowed five earned runs across 4 1/3 innings.

Phillies 5, Dodgers 1

Was this an NLCS preview? With the volatility of MLB’s postseason, probably not, but the Phillies, given this sweep, certainly wish it was. Philadelphia is healthy again, and back to blitzing teams. Kyle Schwarber is one of a few Phillies back in the lineup, and he homered in this game, his 19th of the season.

While the Phillies are 61-32 and well on their way to 100 wins, the same can’t be said for the 55-39 Dodgers. Thankfully for Los Angeles, regular season wins aren’t a be all, end all, as the postseason well tell the tale of the 2024 Dodgers, a championship-or-bust team.

Cubs 8, Orioles 0

It’s reasonable to say the 45-49 Cubs have underachieved a bit this season, but I still didn’t have the Cubs sweeping the Orioles at Camden Yards on my bingo card. Simply put, Chicago’s bats have woken up. Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson are all torching opposing pitchers, creating, at least temporarily, a deep Cubs lineup. In this game, those four Cubs combined to go 8-for-17 with a home run and eight RBI.

The Orioles are a young team, but Baltimore needs the upcoming All-Star break to regroup.

Red Sox 7, Athletics 0

We’re the past the point of being able to dismiss the 51-41 Red Sox; Boston is here to stay, thanks in part to several unsung heroes. How about David Hamilton? The unheralded middle infielder puts the ball in play for the Red Sox, and he went 2-for-4 in this game. Wilyer Abreu is another underrated player for Boston, and he’s been even better than Hamilton. Abreu finished this contest 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI. It sure would be something if the Red Sox ran down the Yankees (just four games ahead of Boston as of this writing).

Rays 5, Yankees 4

Deep breaths. I thought the Rays might lose this game on two separate occasions in the ninth inning. First, when Aaron Judge was at the plate with two runners on, and second when it almost appeared that Jose Caballero dropped a pop up in traffic with two outs. Alas, Tampa Bay escaped, but it’s still hard to take the 46-47 Rays seriously with their -65 run differential. Selling later this month is the right call for Erik Neander and the Rays.