NCAAF

2025 five-star OT Ty Haywood commits to Alabama

Alabama isn’t resting. At all. One day after landing five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham, the Crimson Tide strike again, adding Haywood, the No. 11 player for 2025. Most of Nick Saban’s best Alabama teams were built through the trenches, and it seems Kalen DeBoer is attempting to follow that mold.

MLB

Orioles 6, Yankees 5

Gunnar Henderson is going to make the AL MVP race very interesting the second half. Baltimore’s shortstop smashed his 28th home run of the season in this game, an outrageous total for a player at the position through just 95 appearances.

Ben Rice may have already usurped the Yankees’ starting first baseman job from Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo, prior to his injury, struggled to the tune of -0.5 WAR, and will probably never be the player again he was throughout his prime with the Cubs. In Rizzo’s place, Rice has shined. The first baseman finished 1-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in this game, upping his OPS to .809.

Red Sox 5, Royals 4

Rafael Devers probably won’t join the AL MVP race — not with Aaron Judge and Gunnar Henderson going scorched Earth — but the heartbeat of the Red Sox has been obliterating opposing pitching all year. The third baseman went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI yesterday, upping his slash line to .295/.378/.599.

Athletics 18, Phillies 3

I can’t remember the last time I saw a team have three players hit multiple home runs in the same game. Lawrence Butler (3), Brent Rooker (2) and Seth Brown (2) combined for seven long balls, sending the Phillies on a whimper into the All-Star break.

Seemingly, the Phillies’ eight All-Stars were ready to get to Arlington.

Rays 2, Guardians 1

Following the All-Star break, Tampa Bay needs to get back to winning with effective pitching. This outing was a nice preamble, as any Rays game that involves Jason Adam coming in for relief typically ends well for Kevin Cash’s club. After throwing one scoreless inning yesterday, Adam’s ERA is down to 1.67.

How real are the 58-37 Guardians? Cleveland hasn’t played well recently, especially on offense — where the club was expected to struggle entering this campaign. The second half and postseason will tell the tale for a Guardians organization seeking its first World Series title since 1948.

Rockies 8, Mets 5

Lawrence Butler AND Michael Toglia?! Both players homered three times yesterday, and Toglia, in particular, has flashed some power throughout the season. The long balls gave the first baseman 16 on the year, enough for him to be taken seriously as a hitter, despite a .197 batting average.

Adrian Houser has been useless for the Mets this season, both starting and as a reliever. The right-hander permitted three earned runs over two innings in this tilt, raising his ERA to 5.89. A DFA could be in Houser’s future.