NFL

Seahawks sign S Julian Love to three-year, $36 million contract extension

Love shined in his first season with Seattle, recording 123 tackles and four interceptions, earning him a trip to his first Pro Bowl. Now, the mission for the safety is to captain the back end of new head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense, where he’ll be flanked by two talented young corners, Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen. This is a smart use of resources by John Schneider and the Seahawks.

Grade: B+

NBA

Pacers sign PG Andrew Nembhard to three-year, $59 million contract extension

Indiana has had several player development success stories recently, and Nembhard, the No. 31 overall pick in 2022, is probably the biggest of all. In just two seasons, the Gonzaga product has proved to be an excellent fit next to the Pacers’ franchise player, Tyrese Haliburton, in the backcourt, threatening defenses with his decision-making skills and efficient shooting.

Nembhard, 24, showed his game potentially has another level last playoffs, as he upped his numbers across the board during Indiana’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. This is a good chunk of money — above NBA middle-class figures — but the Pacers should feel good about this deal if the guard keeps progressing.

Grade: B

Pacers sign PF James Johnson to one-year, $3.3 million contract

The Pacers aren’t keeping Johnson around for him to contribute on the court — 2022 with the Nets was the last time the 37-year-old was halfway playable — but instead are bringing him back for his presence in the locker room. The forward is a valued member off the court for Indiana, and he’ll continue to influence the franchise’s young players for another year.

Grade: C-

Grizzlies sign C Jay Huff to two-way contract

Memphis is essentially choosing Huff over fellow center Trey Jemison here, as the Grizzlies released Jemison to sign Huff to do this deal. Huff, 26, was solid in Summer League, and probably offers more than Jemison does as a defensive presence for a Grizzlies team trying to get back to the playoffs in 2025.

With Huff and rookie Zach Edey, the Grizzlies will enter next season with much more size than last year.

Grade: B-

MLB

Pirates 5, Cardinals 0

The Pirates may be surging, but Pittsburgh still needs all the help on offense it can get. Connor Joe finding his stroke again would help, and the righty took a step in the right direction yesterday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI double. Even if Joe becomes a decent regular again, the Pirates will be shopping for a bat or two.

Former top prospect Matthew Liberatore has yet to take off for the Cardinals. Still only 24, the left-hander was a centerpiece in the Juan Soto talks between St. Louis and Washington in 2022, showing his immense value. That value hasn’t translated to success, though it would help if Liberatore had a more defined role with the Cardinals, instead of switching back and forth between starting and relieving. The lefty surrendered five earned runs in this game as a starter, raising his ERA to 4.75.

Reds 9, Braves 4

Elly De La Cruz sure has some electric games. Yesterday, the shortstop recorded a home run and two steals (let’s ignore his two errors), helping the Reds top the Braves with his diverse skillset. The 22-year-old’s second season has been all the Reds could’ve hoped for.

The Braves aren’t good enough on offense this season to be handing starts to the likes of Allan Winans. The 28-year-old was rough in 2023 and hasn’t been any better through two starts this year, posting a 15.26 ERA. Morale in Atlanta is low at 54-46.

Twins 5, Phillies 4

The Twins are battling for a postseason spot, so they’ll take any win they can get, but the injuries are starting to pile up. Minnesota lost Carlos Correa to the 10-day injured several days ago, and in this game, Byron Buxton left with a right forearm contusion. Those are two heavy hitters for a Twins team trying to catch the Guardians in the AL Central.

Buxton, in particular, misses too many games. The centerfielder has played in 100 or more games once in his career, back in 2017. The 4.5-game deficit facing the Twins in the division could prove too much to overcome without Correa and Buxton.

Philadelphia’s bullpen has received substantial praise this season — and rightfully so — but it collapsed yesterday. Orion Kerkering was the first to falter, allowing three earned runs in less than an inning. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Gregory Soto lost the game. The 64-38 Phillies built themselves a smooth cushion in the playoff race, but they’re not playing clean baseball at the moment.

Brewers 3, Cubs 2

It’s been a fun season for first-place Milwaukee, a club few picked to win the NL Central, but the Brewers were hit with some bad news yesterday. Christian Yelich is due to see a spine specialist and may need surgery, potentially robbing the Brewers of one of their best players.

Without the former MVP, even more of the spotlight falls on Jackson Chourio, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI in this win.

The season is getting away from the 49-55 Cubs, and when times are tough, Chicago should lean on its ace, Justin Steele. In this contest, though, Craig Counsell opted against that, pulling the left-hander after 5 1/3 innings with a lead. The Cubs, of course, lost the game.

Rockies 20, Red Sox 7

Now this is a Coors Field score. 27 combined runs! Brenton Doyle has established himself as a solid option for the Rockies this season, and he exploded in this win, finishing 2-for-4 with a homer and five RBI.

Astros 8, Athletics 1

Hunter Brown had an April that can’t be erased — he was tattooed for an 11.84 ERA over five starts — but the right-hander has been solid since. Brown continued his strong run yesterday, pitching six innings of one-run ball. Houston needed some young starting pitching to emerge this year, and Brown, 25, has been an answer for the Astros.

Angels 2, Mariners 1

Oof. Yesterday was not a good one for the Mariners. Early in the day, Seattle lost Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford to the injured list, weaking an already shaky lineup. Then, the M’s proceeded to lose this contest, their third in a row and eighth of 10. Unless Jerry Dipoto pulls off something magical at the trade deadline, the Mariners are an easy bet to miss the postseason.

Guardians 2, Tigers 1

Cleveland has a sound formula for winning most games: just get the ball to Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and then Emmanuel Clase. The Guardians executed it last night, and the relievers, per usual, shut down the opposing bats. The best bullpen in baseball resides in Cleveland — the team just needs to fortify other areas.

If Detroit wasn’t already planning on selling, this loss probably pushed the club in that direction. 50-53 won’t cut it in the American League this season, but it’s been a tangible step forward for the Tigers this year.

This might’ve been Jack Flaherty’s last start as a Tiger, and if so, it was a great last impression for contenders. Flaherty stymied the Guardians, shutting out Cleveland over six innings. The right-hander’s ERA is now 2.95.

Marlins 6, Orioles 3

A win over one of MLB’s best teams in nice, but Miami’s front office probably cares more about good performances from Jazz Chisholm and Tanner Scott. Both players are attractive trade targets for rival franchises, and it would accelerate the Marlins’ rebuild if they were moved. In this tilt, Chisholm went 1-for-4 with two RBI and Scott grabbed the save, his 18th of 2024.

So much has gone right for the Orioles this season that it’s hard to notice the bad things. For July, Adley Rutschman has been scuffling at the dish, and his misfortunes continued yesterday, as the catcher went 0-for-4.

Padres 12, Nationals 3

I stated above that in the American League West, the Mariners are an easy bet to miss the postseason. On the other hand, Seattle’s National League counterpart, the Padres, are an easy bet to make the postseason. Not only have the 54-50 Padres been playing good baseball recently, San Diego is talented and run by an executive willing to push his chips to the middle in A.J. Preller. The Padres tallied 20 hits last night, taking advantage of porous Washington pitching.

Blue Jays 6, Rays 3

At this point, it’s fair to admit Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2021 season (.311 batting average, 48 home runs and 111 RBI) is at least a minor outlier. Very few players this side of Aaron Judge are capable of consistently posting those kind of numbers. That’s okay.

Recently, though, the first baseman has been producing at that level, and he homered yesterday, his fifth in six games. Guerrero Jr. now has 18 long balls, and with his play, several contenders would move heaven and Earth to land the 25-year-old slugger.

Tampa Bay may be 51-51, but the Rays sport a run differential of -67, the same as the … Athletics. The Rays aren’t for real.