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The Miami Desk

MIAMI — The Miami Desk covers the American leagues on the beat: the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, their front offices, their contracts and their races for the post-season.

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Angels Steal First Two From Twins

Vaughn Grissom's homer sparks a series upset that tightens the Twins' grip on .500

Filed 12 JULY 2026MINNEAPOLIS — 12 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballSun 12 Jul • 18:10

The Los Angeles Angels, owners of the worst record in the major leagues, took the first two games of their series from the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Vaughn Grissom homered and drove in two runs in the opener, a 4-3 win that snapped a five-game Angels skid at the ballpark. The Twins, who entered the series playing their best baseball of the summer, now sit at 46-49 and face a series sweep in the finale.

Minnesota Twins vs LA Angels

Cubs Take Rubber Match Before Break

Chicago closes the first half with wild card cushion intact against a fading Reds club

Filed 12 JULY 2026CINCINNATI — 12 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballSun 12 Jul • 17:40

The Cubs closed the first half with a rubber-match win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Sunday, splitting the emotional weight of the series after Cincinnati's shutout on Friday. Matthew Boyd got the ball over Andrew Abbott in the finale, a matchup billed as the last real test before the All-Star break. Chicago heads into the break at 52-41, still holding the top NL Wild Card spot.

Cincinnati Reds vs Chicago Cubs

Twins Face Deadline Math Against Reeling Angels

A soft series against a last-place club is the last data point before the front office decides its direction

Filed 11 JULY 2026MINNEAPOLIS — 10 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballSat 11 Jul • 00:10

The Twins host the last-place Angels this weekend with the trade deadline clock loud in the background. Minnesota is 46-48, third in the AL Central, winners of seven of their last ten after snapping a four-game skid Thursday against Cleveland. LA arrives at 37-57 with a brutal 16-32 mark on the road, the kind of opponent a fringe contender is supposed to beat up on.

Minnesota Twins vs LA Angels

Tolbert's Record Overshadows Mets-Royals Finale

Kansas City's Tyler Tolbert matched a mark from 1902 as two last-place clubs close out a series in Queens.

Filed 9 JULY 2026NEW YORK — 9 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballThu 9 Jul • 17:10

Tyler Tolbert tied a 124-year-old record on Tuesday, going 5-for-6 with hits in 12 straight plate appearances as the Royals beat the Mets 16-12. He joined Johnny Kling (1902) and Walt Dropo (1952) in the record book. The finale between two last-place clubs plays out Wednesday under that shadow, with Steven Cruz opening for Kansas City and Christian Scott starting for New York.

New York Mets vs Kansas City Royals

Dodgers Chase Magic Number, Not Rivals

A 14-game division lead has turned the NL West race into arithmetic, not competition.

Filed 8 JULY 2026LOS ANGELES — 8 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballWed 8 Jul • 02:10

The Dodgers moved to 60-32 on Monday night, the first team in the majors to reach 60 wins this season, and they open a series Wednesday against a last-place Rockies club sitting 23 games under .500. Dalton Rushing's walk-off single in the 11th sealed the 8-7 win, with Shohei Ohtani chipping in his 299th career homer along the way. This is no longer a division race. It's a coronation with a magic number attached.

LA Dodgers vs Colorado Rockies

Padres, D-backs Meet in Season-Defining Series

Both NL West clubs enter the four-game set searching for answers before the trade deadline

Filed 8 JULY 2026SAN DIEGO — 7 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballWed 8 Jul • 01:40

San Diego snapped an eight-game losing streak just before Arizona came to town, but the fix looks temporary. The Padres' offense remains historically bad, and manager Craig Stammen's team now opens a pivotal four-game set against a Diamondbacks club that's stumbling in its own right. Stammen said after the streak ended that his team 'still has that fight in them.' The next four games will test that claim against a division rival separated by just one game in the standings.

San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Dodgers' Magic Number Shrinks to 60

A soft series against the last-place Rockies puts the NL West clinch on the calendar

Filed 7 JULY 2026LOS ANGELES — 7 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballTue 7 Jul • 02:10

The Dodgers open a three-game set with the Rockies sitting at 59-32, riding an eight-game cushion on their last ten and a three-game winning streak. Their magic number to clinch the NL West is down to 60. Colorado arrives 22 games back with a losing record, the kind of opponent that turns a pennant race into a formality."

LA Dodgers vs Colorado Rockies

Gausman Returns to a Home Run Killer

Toronto's veteran righty finds a friendly ballpark against the club that once called him its ace.

Filed 7 JULY 2026SAN FRANCISCO — 6 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballTue 7 Jul • 01:46

Kevin Gausman took the mound at Oracle Park on Monday night for the first time as a visitor, starting for Toronto against his former team. The Blue Jays sent him out at 4-7 with a 4.19 ERA, a season defined by home run trouble. Oracle Park, the most pitcher-friendly yard in the majors, gave him a reprieve from that exact problem.

San Francisco Giants vs Toronto Blue Jays

Braves Bash Five Homers, Mets Freefall Continues

Atlanta's five-homer night and Sale's 10th All-Star nod contrast a Mets skid nearing historic lows

Filed 6 JULY 2026ATLANTA — 5 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballMon 6 Jul • 23:16

The Braves blasted five home runs in a 14-3 rout of the Mets on July 4, with Michael Harris II, Eli White, Mauricio Dubón, Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Riley all going deep. Chris Sale was named an All-Star for the 10th time just hours before that start. The Mets answered back a night later, stealing Game 3 10-9 on Juan Soto's go-ahead single, but the loss dropped New York to 36-53 and deepened a collapse with few precedents.

Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets

Royals' Skid Hits Nine Against Surging Phillies

Phillies bid for series sweep at Kauffman as Kansas City's slump deepens

Filed 6 JULY 2026KANSAS CITY — 5 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballMon 6 Jul • 18:10

The Royals' skid hit eight losses in nine games Saturday, falling 6-1 to the Phillies behind nine strikeouts from Jesus Luzardo. J.T. Realmuto, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Alec Bohm all homered for Philadelphia. Kansas City went just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, part of a miserable .118 clip in those spots during the slide.

Kansas City Royals vs Philadelphia Phillies

Dodgers Rally Twice, Ohtani's Arm a Worry

Rushing and Hernandez power back-to-back rallies as San Diego's skid deepens and Ohtani's biceps becomes the finale's storyline.

Filed 5 JULY 2026LOS ANGELES — 5 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballSun 5 Jul • 23:20

The Dodgers erased a six-run hole Thursday and did it again Friday, rallying past the Padres 12-7 and then 4-3 in back-to-back comebacks at Dodger Stadium. Dalton Rushing drove in four runs in the first win. Teoscar Hernandez capped the second with a go-ahead grand slam off Adrian Morejon in the seventh, though Shohei Ohtani's exit with right biceps tightness after 110 pitches looms over the series finale."]

LA Dodgers vs San Diego Padres

Braves Hold Lead Despite Historic Fade

Atlanta's slide has narrowed the gap, but New York's collapse is the real division story

Filed 5 JULY 2026ATLANTA — 5 JULY 2026USA Major League BaseballSun 5 Jul • 18:15

The Braves beat the Mets 5-3 on Friday and still lead the NL East by three games over Philadelphia, but the standings sheet is lying about how this month has actually gone. Atlanta is 5-14 since June 9. New York has cratered to 36-52, the franchise's first stretch 16 games under .500 since 2018.

Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets
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