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MLB Roundup: Bell has two homers as Twins beat Yankees

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NEW YORK — Josh Bell homered in consecutive at-bats and Minnesota hit six homers in a game for the first time in nearly three years to pull away for a victory over slumping New York.

Kody Clemens, Luke Keaschall and Alex Jackson homered in the first two innings off New York starter Brendan Beck (0-1) as the Twins raced to a 6-0 lead. Trevor Larnach also homered.

Bell homered to left field off Ryan Yarbrough in the seventh inning for a 7-4 lead, then homered to right-center off Camilo Doval for an 11-4 lead in the eighth. It was Bell’s 13th career multihomer game and second this season.

The Twins hit six homers for the first time since a 20-6 win at Cleveland on Sept. 4, 2023.

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SEATTLE — Logan Gilbert gave up one hit and struck out seven in 7 1/3 innings, Randy Arozarena hit a grand slam, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-0 on Saturday.

Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone also homered for the Mariners.

The Mariners planned on having Gilbert and Emerson Hancock share pitching duties in Saturday’s game as part of a “piggyback” blueprint they’ve implemented this season, but they decided before the game to and have Gilbert start Saturday, with Hancock getting the ball Sunday.

Gilbert (7-5) retired his first 14 batters before Yohendrik Piñango blooped a single to center field with two outs in the fifth inning. Gilbert got the next eight hitters out before being removed at 91 pitches. He did not walk a batter.

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He got all the run support he’d need when the Mariners sent nine to the plate against Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber (0-1) in a five-run second inning.

Bieber retired the first two hitters, but Cole Young doubled and Victor Robles singled him in to give Seattle a 1-0 lead. Colt Emerson followed with a single and J.P. Crawford walked to load the bases before Arozarena’s ninth homer of the year.

WASHINGTON — Braxton Ashcraft won his fourth consecutive start and Pittsburgh defeated Washington.

Henry Davis and Brandon Lowe both drove in two runs for Pittsburgh, which got back to .500 at 45-45 after dropping three of its past four.

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Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin stole home as part of a double steal with two outs in the first inning to open the scoring. Griffin earlier stole second after a leadoff single and the Pirates had four stolen bases for the game.

James Wood hit a leadoff homer for the Nationals, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Ashcraft (9-3) allowed a run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings and struck out seven. The 26-year-old right-hander has a 3.04 ERA and 32 strikeouts in four starts since June 17 and has won eight of his past nine decisions.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Riley Greene hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Jack Flaherty pitched three-hit ball over 5 2/3 innings and the Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers 3-0 on Saturday.

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Tyler Holton retired the only batter he faced after relieving Flaherty, before Keider Montero pitched three no-hit innings with one walk for his first career save and to finish off the seventh shutout by the Tigers this season.

Flaherty (2-8) struck out five without a walk, but did hit a batter. The right-hander has gone at least five innings not allowing a run in both starts since coming off the injured list because of a left-foot strain. He is 2-1 in his last five starts after going into June with an 0-7 record his first 12 starts.

Cal Quantrill (3-1) made his third consecutive start for Texas in the spot of injured Jack Leiter, Quantrill struck out two, walked one and hit a batter while allowing three hits and three runs — two earned — over five innings.

CLEVELAND – Colson Montgomery hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning off Tim Herrin for the second of his two RBIs, helping Chicago beat Cleveland.

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Chicago reclaimed first place in the AL Central by percentage points over the Guardians, who won the first two games of the series on walk-off hits.

Montgomery, who leads all shortstops with 22 homers, led off the eighth with a 402-foot shot to center off Herrin (1-4). It came on the first anniversary of his major league debut and gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead.

All-Star Miguel Vargas tacked on a sacrifice fly against Matt Festa in the ninth, scoring Tristan Peters with an insurance run.

Brandon Eisert (2-1) earned the win with two clean innings of relief, while Grant Taylor worked the ninth for his third save in six opportunities. Taylor allowed Brayan Rocchio’s game-ending two-run homer Friday.

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CINCINNATI — Samuel Basallo hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Baltimore roughed up Hunter Greene in his first start of the season for a win over Cincinnati.

Gunnar Henderson extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single on the first pitch of the game, Pete Alonso walked, and Basallo hit his 14th home run of the season.

The Reds pulled ahead 4-3 with a three-run second inning. Jose Trevino doubled home Spencer Steer, TJ Friedl followed with a triple to tie the game, and Elly De La Cruz put the Reds in the lead with a single against Brandon Young (7-2).

But the Orioles scored five times against Greene in the fourth. Adley Rutschman hit his second double of the game to drive in two runs and scored on Alonso’s second hit.

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Greene (0-1), returning after surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow in March, lasted 3 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs, which ties a career-high, on seven hits. He walked four and struck out seven.

Young, who has won four of his last five decisions, allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out five.

HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer off Casey Legumina with no outs in the ninth inning to cap a big night and give Houston a victory over Tampa Bay.

The Rays had won nine in a row, the longest winning streak in the American League this season.

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Named to his fourth All-Star team before the game, Alvarez homered twice and drove in six runs. He leads the AL with 29 homers and has four multi-homer games this season.

Jose Altuve drew a walk to open the ninth against Legumina (2-2). Altuve was 2 for 3 with two walks and three runs.

After Hunter Brown allowed a season-high seven runs over four innings, Houston’s bullpen combined to hold the Rays to a run over the final innings, with Josh Hader (3-0) earning the win.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jesús Luzardo struck out nine in six innings, J.T. Realmuto, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Alec Bohm hit home runs, and Philadelphia beat Kansas City.

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Luzardo (7-4) outpitched Royals All-Star selection Michael Wacha, dominating the Royals lineup through the first three innings, striking out six — five with his sweeper — while allowing only an infield hit. He allowed a run on four hits overall.

Luzardo has allowed fewer than three earned runs in nine of his last 10 starts, lowering his ERA from 5.77 on May 8 to 3.75.

The Phillies have won eight straight starts by Luzardo.

Wacha (5-6) escaped unscathed from an adventurous first inning, including throwing Bryce Harper’s checked-swing single down the right-field line and walking Bohm on 12 pitches to load the bases after Bohm successfully challenged a third-strike call.

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ATLANTA — Michael Harris II had three hits, including one of five Braves home runs, as Atlanta gave Chris Sale plenty of support in a blowout over New York.

Eli White, Mauricio Dubón, Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Riley also homered for Atlanta, which hit four home runs off Mets pitching in a 5-3 win on Friday night.

Harris drove in two runs. White had four RBIs, Riley had three and Dubón and Yastrzemski had two each.

Sale (9-6), who was named an All-Star for the 10th time just before the game, gave up three runs on seven hits, including two home runs, and he matched a season-low with three strikeouts. Rookie JR Ritchie picked up his first save after throwing three scoreless innings to close the game.

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The last-place Mets have lost 12 of their last 14 and have dropped to 36-53. No team has ever reached the postseason from 17 games under .500, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

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Vikings Running Back Got to Camp in Terrific Shape

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Jordan Mason rushes the rock against Bears safety Kevin Byard at Soldier Field.
Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) powers forward with a carry during the second half on Sep 8, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago. Mason battles Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard III (31) as Minnesota leans on its ground game to gain critical yardage in the division matchup. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images.

Vikings running back Jordan Mason is a hulking, rugged guy. Quite possibly, he’s in better shape than last year.

Minnesota offensive coordinator Wes Phillips chatted with the media at training camp two days ago. He took on a question about the run game, leading to him praising the running back: “He dropped some pounds, he felt like he was too heavy. He put a lot of work [in] this offseason […] really impressed with his mindset coming into year two with us.”

Note, as well, that Kevin O’Connell shared a similar idea. The head coach: “You guys can probably even tell just the way he looks. He’s in unbelievable shape right now.” That idea got sent along on Saturday.

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Vikings Running Back Jordan Mason in Great Shape

At 27, Mr. Mason is firmly within his prime. What’s worth remembering, as well, is that he hasn’t yet been a full-time starter across his career, meaning he’s got less miles on the odometer.

In 2025, Jordan Mason offered sturdy football in his first season as a Viking. The RB2 turned his 159 carries into 758 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mason’s 4.8 yards-per-carry average is spiffy stuff, coming in a tie for 12th in the NFL. Not the world’s best receiver, Masons did toss 14 receptions onto the pile for 51 yards.

NFL: Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings
Aug 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) runs with the ball against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t often earn praise, but pulling off a trade for Mason was a smart decision; getting the talented runner cost a mere 6th. So, too, was the contract extension to follow — a pair of seasons at $10.5 million — an instance of the former GM making a nice decision.

What’s going to be fascinating to see is how things end up looking in the overall attack. The Vikings will remain a pass-first team but O’Connell keeps saying he thinks the run game can be better. In fairness, the skipper says that every year, but is this time any different?

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— READ MORE: The Vikings’ Trade Candidates: The Top 5 Roster Options
— READ MORE: Forgotten Vikings Young Fella Turning Some Heads at Camp
— READ MORE: NFC North Head Coach Rankings for 2026
— READ MORE: Hype Builds for Vikings Pass Catcher Who has Been “Everywhere”

Boasting receivers like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison means being able to put a fright into every NFL secondary. Even better will be the presence of Jauan Jennings as somebody who can move the sticks while also being a blocking bully. That second facet of Jennings’ game — the blocking — shouldn’t be undersold.

The Vikings may be able to run in 11 personnel in a way that they haven’t in past seasons, largely due to the newcomer at WR3. Plus, Mason is said to be in great shape, so it’s possible that there’s just a tiny bit more explosiveness in his legs.

Vikings RB Jordan Mason at the Giants in 2025
New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) tackles Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) during a game at MetLife Stadium, Dec 21, 2025, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. © Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

Jordan Mason is moving into a contract year. Operating on a contract that averages $5.25 million per year means that he won’t go hungry. In the broader context of the NFL, though, it’s a middle-class deal.

Putting up a 1,000-yard season while he’s still in his 20s could plausibly lead to the sort of payday that ensures he’s a very rich man for the rest of his life. Seemingly all of the details — being in great shape, being 27, working under a great running strategist in Frank Smith, and being in a contract year — point toward an explosion.

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Listed at 5’11” and 230 pounds, Jordan Mason will try to wrestle away the RB1 job from Aaron Jones.


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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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Triple H shares major tease ahead of WWE SummerSlam Night 2

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Triple H shared a major tease ahead of WWE SummerSlam Night 2. Roman Reigns is scheduled to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins in the main event of tonight’s show.

The Game shared a video ahead of SummerSlam Night 2 and noted that he arrived at the venue early. He shared that it would be competitive for everyone tonight as Night 1 set the bar. The Hall of Famer teased that it was going to be an exciting night, and you can check out the video below.

“This is where it gets fun and competitive for everybody and everybody wants to steal the show and they’ve got last night to go off as a barometer. So it makes for an exciting night,” he said. (H/T: WrestleTalk)

Oba Femi defeated Brock Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell match to close Night 1 of SummerSlam. CM Punk got the better of Cody Rhodes last night as well to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. Randy Orton returned during the match and hit Rhodes with an RKO. It was the first time The Viper had been seen since his loss to Rhodes at WrestleMania.

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Triple H makes Nick Aldis the GM of WWE SmackDown again

Triple H reinstated Nick Aldis as SmackDown General Manager last night following his match against Gunther.

Aldis returned to the ring for the first time since 2023 and battled The Ring General at WWE SummerSlam. Gunther won the match via submission, and Aldis got a standing ovation after the match.

Aldis then had a conversation with The King of Kings and attempted to resign as GM. However, Triple H told him to call things down the middle moving forward and announced that he was still the GM of SmackDown.

“I’m proud of what you did. I’m proud of what you accomplished. I’m proud of everything you did tonight. But as for this letter of resignation, well, I believe in what you did. You’re reinstated as the General Manager of SmackDown. Lay off of Gunther. Call things down the middle and let’s get back to work,” he said.

Triple H says he found out a few days ago that Oasis for Nick Aldis’ theme song was cleared “I was thrilled to tell him, ‘Oasis is in, dude. We’re doing it.’” #SummerSlam

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It will be interesting to see if Triple H has any surprises planned for fans during Night 2 of WWE SummerSlam.