PITTSBURGH (AP) Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer, rookie Zac Thornton pitched five scoreless innings and the New York Mets matched a season high with their fourth straight win by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 on Friday night.Semiens second homer in two games and 14th of the season, a drive to left-center off Carmen Mlodzinski, capped a four-run third that put the Mets ahead 5-0. New York, last in the NL East, swept a three-game series in Cleveland before busing to Pittsburgh on Thursday night.Thornton (3-2) allowed four hits while striking out three and walking two. The left-hander remained in the game following a 36-minute rain delay in the top of the third.Pittsburgh got two runs in the seventh and then two more in the ninth off closer Devin Williams, but a pair of baserunning mistakes cost the Pirates as they tried to rally.Semien made a sliding stop at second base of Bryan Reynolds' grounder with a runner aboard to end it.Mets rookie outfielder Carson Benge was removed with left wrist soreness in the bottom of the fourth, one inning after sliding into the wall in the left-field corner while catching a flyball hit by Ronny Simon.Benge was replaced by Cristian Pache with the Mets leading 6-0. Benge helped New York build the lead with a pair of run-scoring singles.Making his first start since May 25, Mlodzinski (6-4) was tagged for five runs and seven hits in three innings. Mlodzinski returned to the rotation from the bullpen after Mitch Keller sustained a season-ending right shoulder injury in his previous start.A.J. Ewing, another rookie outfielder, had three hits and scored twice for the Mets. Ewing led off the game with a double and scored on a single by Benge, who also singled home a run in the third before Semien homered. Francisco Lindor added an RBI single in the fourth.The Pirates, who are 4-11 since the All-Star break, got two hits each from Reynolds, Nick Gonzales, Simon and Jared Triolo.Up nextMets RHP Robert Stock (0-1, 1.80 ERA) faces rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (4-8, 4.49) on Saturday night.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

PHOENIX Jordan Chiles stood on the competition floor at the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Friday night, but whether she puts a leotard on again remains to be seen.Chiles is undecided, at least publicly, on whether to bid for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She hasn't competed on the elite level since the Paris Games and finished her NCAA career for UCLA this past spring."The wait is still on," Chiles said when asked on the NBC Sports broadcast about a possible comeback. "I definitely am going on a lot of vacation, so stay tuned for that. I think right now my mind is just focusing on me, personally, mentally. The wait is still on."2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships: How to watch, schedule, field, previewThe nations top gymnasts compete in Phoenix, live on NBC Sports and Peacock. Nick Zaccardi,Three of Chiles' four teammates from Paris are definitely bidding for LA 2028 Hezly Rivera, trying to repeat as U.S. all-around champion this weekend; Jade Carey, competing elite this season for the first time since Paris and Suni Lee, who announced her return to the gym last month and could return to competition as early as next spring.The gymnastics world is waiting for Chiles and for Simone Biles to decide.Chiles was asked Friday what she misses the most about the sport as a spectator."As an athlete, we love being very competitive," she said. "We love being around our friends, seeing what we've got within each other. I think just being on the competition floor, for sure."Which 2024 Olympic womens gymnastics team members are coming back for LA 2028?Its possible that all five women from the 2024 Olympic champion womens gymnastics team come back for 2028. Nick Zaccardi,

MILWAUKEE (AP) Josh Bell went 4 for 5 with a homer and Kaelen Culpepper also went deep in his major league debut as the Minnesota Twins erased a four-run deficit and beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 on Friday night.Minnesota trailed 4-0 after two innings before scoring two runs each in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth. It was the biggest lead Milwaukee has blown in a loss all season. The Twins scored twice with two outs in the sixth to break a 6-all tie. After Antonio Senzatela (9-3) retired the first two batters he faced, Ryan Jeffers and Royce Lewis hit consecutive doubles. Bell singled home Lewis for his third RBI of the night.Milwaukee wasted a couple of chances to rally.The Brewers left the bases loaded in the seventh when Jeff Hoffman struck out Luis Lara. Milwaukee had runners on first and second in the eighth before Jackson Chourio grounded into an inning-ending double play. Yoendrys Gmez retired the side in the order in the ninth for his 16th save in 16 opportunities.Twins starter Zebby Matthews (5-8) left with a blister in his right foot after coming out for the start of the sixth inning. He allowed six runs three earned and seven hits in five innings.Chourio hit a solo shot in the first inning for his third homer in his last four games. An error by Lewis led to three unearned Brewers runs in the second.Bell cut Milwaukees lead in half by hitting a two-run homer with two outs in the third. Culpepper added a solo shot on an 0-2 pitch in the fourth inning.The Twins tied it later in the fourth on Austin Martins RBI double. Ryan Kreidler tried scoring all the way from first for the go-ahead run, but he was thrown out at the plate.Minnesota took the lead anyway an inning later by scoring twice more, but Milwaukee tied it back up with two runs in the bottom of the fifth.Milwaukee's Shane Drohan allowed nine hits and six runs in five innings.Up nextTaj Bradley (9-4, 3.69 ERA) pitches for the Twins and Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.48) starts for the Brewers on Saturday.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

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Luke Weaverwas one of the pieces dealt by the Metsat this year's trade deadline.And while trading other players who were on expiring contracts, like Brooks Raley and Freddy Peralta, made sense, Weaver had another year under contract after signing a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets this past offseason.The Mets sent Weaver to the Pirates for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, who is now the organization's No. 3 prospect in Joe DeMayo's latest rankings. But New York could have kept Weaver to anchor their bullpen to try and compete in 2027. And the 33-year-old reliever was hoping to stay and told the Mets he "strongly" wanted to remain with the club past the deadline.I was very upfront. I told them, I hope you know I want to stay, Weaver told reporters, including The NY Post, before Friday's series opener. I made my commitment but I understand how this goes. Its not my first rodeo.In 42 appearances for the Mets, Weaver pitched to a 1.84 ERA and was arguably the top reliever available.Before the Mets and Pirates started their three-game series, Weaver was asked about the Mets struggles this season. Theres a lot of changes that were made, a lot of new people that were brought in, a lot of new faces, he said. I dont think necessarily it was a bad thing, but I think people underestimate change and how much you have got to adapt in a short period of time.A lot of great teams we have seen in the past have a lot of chemistry, a lot of deep-rooted connection that has happened over time. Its not always like that, but theres a lot of those history book teams that have that, and I think it gets taken for granted how much that needed to happen, and it was happening. It has just got to link together on the field.Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns explained his reasoning for dealing Weaver and Husacar Brazoban, who was also under team control in 2027.Ultimately the returns that we were able to get, we thought made sense and were in the best interest of the organization, recognizing that at this time of year you are able to get really good talent back for relief pitching, he said.Weaver, despite being traded Monday, made his first appearance with Pittsburgh against his former team on Friday. With the Pirates down 6-2 in the eighth, the right-hander allowed a hit and a walk but pitched a scoreless inning.

Chase Utley is still the man in Philadelphia.A six-time All-Star and the second baseman on the 2008 World Series championship team, Utley can also call himself a Phillies Wall of Famer.Utley is the third member of that championship team to earn induction, and former teammate Jimmy Rollins greeted him during a star-studded celebration Friday night that included Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton with his Phillies Wall of Fame jersey.Utley looked as comfortable giving a speech - no F-bombs this time like the one infamously dropped during his World Series parade speech - in the jersey as he was when wore it as one of the best second baseman in baseball and helped lead the Phillies to five straight NL East pennants from 2007 to 2011.His plaque now hangs in the left field plaza at Citizens Bank Park.Might his No. 26 be next on the outfield concourse wall with other retired numbers such as Roy Halladay's No 34 or Richie Ashburn's No. 1?"If no one wears my number any time soon, I'm fine with it," Utley said. "But if they want to, if somebody wants my number, good luck."Utley played 13 seasons in Philadelphia before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015. He retired in 2018 with a .275 average, .823 OPS, and 1,885 hits.No Phillie has worn No. 26 since Utley was traded. He is now special assistant to the president for the Dodgers.The sweet-swinging Utley is perhaps the most popular player in franchise history. He was beloved for his hustle, heart and all-out attitude. Fans fell in love with Utley from the moment he ran - not jogged - around the bases after hitting a grand slam for his first hit in the majors. Their affection for Utley grew legendary after he scored from second base on an infield grounder and Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas declared: "Chase Utley, you are the man.""We used to joke he ran angry out there," Wall of Fame outfielder Pat Burrell said with a laugh during his introduction speech.Former teammate Ryan Howard unveiled the Wall of Fame plaque, team owner John Middleton presented Utley with his ring and actor Rob Mac - whose "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" character simply wanted to have a catch with Utley - handed him a replica of the plaque.With the Phillies induction done, Utley is aware another one potentially looms in the future in Cooperstown. Utley appears on track for Hall of Fame induction after he received 59.1% of the vote in his third year on the ballot, up from the 39.8% he received the previous ballot. Players are required to receive 75% of the votes for induction."You can't not pay attention to it once you're in the conversation," Utley said. "Obviously, I'm honored that I'm part of that conversation. I had a great time here. I had some incredible teammates that definitely made me a better player, and I love that I'm part of the conversation. I guess we'll what happens."There was one more Utley touch in his honor for the night.The Phillies ditched their usual Friday night City Connect uniforms for their traditional home pinstripes.Bryce Harper suggested the change."I've had plenty of time now since I've stopped playing to reflect on how this was such an amazing time, not only for me but my family and the team, the coaches, everyone within this organization," Utley said. "It was an incredible time to be a Philadelphia Phillie."

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 7: Ivn Herrera #48 is congratulated by Jimmy Crooks #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals after hitting a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Busch Stadium on August 7, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesKyle Leahy has slowly established himself this season as one of the more reliable St. Louis Cardinals starters in this development year. He turned into something of a strikeout machine Friday night, but also gave up a ton of leadoff hits. How would that affect the end result? The answer is Leahys strikeouts and a bomb off of Herreras bat would be enough to put one in the win column for St. Louis. The Rockies were the first to score in the top of the 2nd inning when TJ Rumfield led off with a single to center. Castro also singled which advanced Rumfield to third giving Colorado runners at first and third with nobody out. The Rockies would only get one run out of this RISP opportunity two batters later when Johnston grounded out to short giving Colorado a 1-0 lead. The Rockies lead would not stand for long. The St. Louis Cardinals played some great small ball baseball in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Jimmy Crooks reached on an infield hit followed by a double by Masyn Winn giving St. Louis runners at 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Unlike the Rockies, the Cardinals would score both runners in scoring position with consecutive sacrifice flies from Nathan Church and Bryan Torres. Good basic baseball gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead after two innings. St. Louis would add to their lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Ivn Herrera turned on a 79 mph curveball and launched it into the left field seats 379 feet away increasing the Cardinals advantage to 3-1.Colorado would peck away at the St. Louis lead in the top of the 4th inning when Runfield would leadoff with another single followed by a double from Willi Castro. Two batters later, Johnston would again drive in a run with a groundout reducing the Cardinals lead to 3-2. Kyle Leahys start lasted 5 innings as he allowed 8 hits, but just 2 earned runs with 8 strikeouts and no walks. A solid with some spectacular strikeout moments kind of start. Justin Bruihl handled the top of the 6th inning shutting the Rockies down 1-2-3. The Cardinals missed a prime scoring opportunity in the bottom of the 6th when they loaded the bases with no hits. Masyn Winn drew a one-out walk and then stole second. Nathan Church walked and two batters later pinch-hitter Blaze Jordan was hit in the back knee by a pitch which loaded the bases for JJ Wetherholt. All JJ could muster was a weak pop-out to third base to end the Cardinals 6th with no runs to show for a long inning. Bummer.Newcomer Caleb Ferguson pitched around a one-out single by Beck in the top of the 7th inning to help maintain the slim Cardinals one-run lead. The Cardinals offered up some of the most pathetic swings in the bottom of the 7th inning. Alec Burleson struck out on a 92 mph four-seam heater that he was somehow way late on. After Ivn Herreras impressive home run at-bat earlier, he had two completely lost looking swings that looked like he second-guessed himself halfway through the swing. That meant the Cardinals would have to survive the final two innings with just a one-run lead. Caleb Ferguson would get the Cardinals one out into the top of the 8th inning when Ryne Stanek would enter the fray. The first batter he faced was Goodman who got robbed by Masyn Winn who dove to his left to grab what looked like a certain single and then rifled a throw to Burleson at first for the second out of the inning. Winn would also catch the last out of the inning when Stanek got Castro to pop-out. I would love to see Masyn develop into more of an offensive weapon, but I think hes a part of the new St. Louis Cardinals core just for his glove alone. Due to the fact that the Cardinals bats sucked were silent after Herreras home run, St. Louis entered the top of the 9th inning with a measly one-run lead that was in the hands of Riley OBrien. He decided handing out a leadoff walk to Tovar would be the appropriate way to add some drama to Friday nights contest. Fortunately, one of OBriens sinkers would leave Kyle Karros bat and end in a double play greatly lessening the Rockies threat. He coaxed a weak grounder off the bat of Beck to wrap up a tight Cardinals victory. Its game 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals 3-game series hosting the Colorado Rockies Saturday night. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Rockies will give the ball to Kyle Freeland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Kevin Gausman provided exactly what the Cubs hoped for when they acquired him from the Blue Jays last weekend, pitching seven sharp innings in his Chicago debut in a 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.The 35-year-old right-hander gave up an RBI single to Isaac Collins in the first inning and Carter Jensen's homer in the fifth, but he otherwise held Kansas City in check. Gausman (6-10) retired 12 of 13 at one point and ended up allowing two runs on four hits and a walk.Caleb Thielbar allowed a pair of runs in the eighth for the Cubs before Trent Thornton escaped the jam, getting Nick Loftin to fly out with the tying run on first base. Jacob Webb breezed through the ninth for his seventh save.The Cubs gave Gausman the support he needed in the second, when Seiya Suzuki followed Pete Crow-Armstrong's RBI single with a two-run single of his own. Chicago wound up plating four runs off Daniel Lynch IV (4-3), who had pitched out of the bullpen all season but was getting the start for a Kansas City rotation waylaid by injuries.Lynch only lasted 1 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking two, before Royals manager Matt Quatraro went to his bullpen.Alex Bregman added an RBI single in the seventh for Chicago. Pedro Ramirez went deep in the eighth.Gausman won his final start for Toronto last Saturday, allowing just one run while pitching into the sixth inning against St. Louis. But he had otherwise struggled the past few weeks, going 1-5 with a 5.17 ERA in his final seven starts for the Blue Jays.Up nextRHP Clay Holmes (4-4, 2.39 ERA) makes his Cubs debut Saturday night following his trade from the Mets. It also will be his first start since May 15, when he fractured his right fibula on a sharp liner by the Yankees' Spencer Jones.RHP Seth Lugo (4-7, 4.41) tries to bounce back from a dismal start against the Rockies when he takes the mound for Kansas City.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 7: Jefry Yan #84 of the New York Mets reacts after tagging out Jared Triolo #19 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at home plate in the seventh inning during the game at PNC Park on August 7, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesThe Mets defeated the Pirates 6-4 in this series opener at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Zac Thornton delivered five scoreless innings, helped out by strong defense behind him and the Mets tagged Carmen Mlodzinski for four runs in the third, punctuated by a Macrus Semien three-run homer. Devin Williams was shaky, but held on to polish off the victory. The Mets got on the board right away off Carmen Mlodzinski in the first. A.J. Ewing, who had a good game on both sides of the ball, led things off with a double. Francisco Lindor then truck out, but Bo Bichette singled to advance Ewing to third and then Carson Benge plated him with a single for the games first run. Bichette tagged up to third base on a fly out by Jared Young and the Mets threatened for a big inning when Benge stole second to put two runners in scoring position, but Macrus Semien grounded out to short to get Mlodzinski through the inning with just one run. Zach Thornton started his evening with a 1-2-3 inning complete with a strikeout and Mlodzinski bounced back to log a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the top of the second. Thornton had a quick second inning as well, thanks to his defense, which played well behind him all evening. Thornton walked Esmerlyn Valdez to lead off the inning but then Jared Young made a nice snag on a soft liner by Spencer Horwitz to double Valdez off. At this point, it began to rain rather heavily and A.J. Ewing needed to make a diving play through the rain drops on a Nick Gonzales shallow fly ball to end the inning. We made it to a 2-1 count on Ewing to lead off the top of the third before the tarp went on the field. After a rain delay of just under an hour, the Mets came out guns blazing. Ewing singled to get things started and then Francisco Lindor worked a walk. The Pirates then got a break when the runners took off and would have executed a double steal, but Bo Bichette flew out to left field and A.J. Ewing failed to re-touch third base after he went past the bag on the steal attempt and went to return to second on the fly ball, and thus was called out on the play. But the Mets werent done hitting yet. Lindor stole second base (for real this time) and Carson Benge singled to put the Mets up 2-0. Jared Young followed with a single to advance Benge to third. Marcus Semien then dealt the decisive blow: a three-run homer to cap off a four-run inning and put the Mets up 5-0. Whether you want to call it pulchritudinous, psychotic, hellacious, or some other adjective, Carson Benge made an unbelievable diving catch up against the left field wall to rob Ronny Simon of an extra base hit in the bottom of the third. Unfortunately he jammed his wrist against the wall in the process and made an early exit from the game as a result, replaced in left field by Cristian Pache. Evan Sisk replaced Carmen Mlodzinski on the mound for the Pirates in the fourth and the Mets tacked on a run against him to extend their lead to six runs. With two outs, Ewing was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second base. Lindor then laced a single to center to drive him in. Thornton managed to navigate around traffic on the base paths in both the fourth and fifth innings again in part thanks to his defense. He gave up a one-out single to Bryan Reyonds in the fourth and then walked Valdez, but induced a double play grounder off the bat of Spencer Horwitz to end the inning. In the fifth, Nick Gonzales led off the inning with a seeing-eye single between short and third. Ronny Simon popped out and Jared Triolo grounded into a force out at second, but Rafael Flores Jr. singled with two outs to advance Triolo to second and he scrambled to third on a wild pitch by Thornton. Jake Mangum then hit a sharp fly ball to right center that A.J. Ewing did an excellent job to track down and make the running catch to cap off Thorntons outing of five scoreless frames. In the sixth with two outs, Luis Torrens drew a walk and stole second base for the Mets fourth stolen base of the game, but nothing game of it. Dedniel Nez came in the game in relief of Thornton and worked around a one-out ground rule double by Bryan Reynolds to pitch a scoreless inning. Meanwhile, Yohan Ramrez kept the Mets off the board over 3 1/3 scoreless innings and the Pirates were able to scratch back two runs off the Mets bullpen. Nez came back out for a second inning of work in the seventh and that proved to be a bad idea, as he gave up a double to Nick Gonzales and a single to Ronny Simon to lead things off. He then made way for Jefry Yan, who allowed a single to Jared Triolo to plate the Pirates first run. He then walked Rafael Flores Jr. to load the bases and a sacrifice fly by Jake Mangum scored another run to cut the Mets lead to 6-2. Yan got Brandon Lowe to pop out for the second out and escaped the jam in thrilling fashion. He bounced a pitch that skipped away from Luis Torrens, but scampered to cover the plate and Torrens flipped it to him and Yan tagged Jared Triolo out at the plate to end the inning, emphatically slamming his hand down on the dirt in celebration, in keeping with his personality. Daniel Duarte worked a scoreless eighth inning, navigating around a two-out single by Spencer Horwitz. The Mets then faced off against old friend Luke Weaver in the ninth, now donning Pirates black and gold. Ewing and Lindor managed to reach base against him via a single and a walk, respectively, but Weaver kept the Mets off the board. Devin Williams then entered the game in the bottom of the ninth in a non-save situation and had a rocky outing, but managed to hang on to seal the victory, assisted by another pair of fantastic defensive plays by the Mets. Ronny Simon got things started for the Pirates with a single and advanced to second on defensive indifference. Endy Rodrguez, pinch hitting for Jared Triolo, flew out to left for the first out. Jacob Gonzalez, pinch hitting for Rafael Flores Jr., launched a ball to deep right field that hit right off the top of the tall fence in right at PNC Park and caromed perfectly to Brett Baty, who threw a perfect strike to second base to nab Gonzalez trying to leg out what he likely thought was a sure extra-base hit off the bat. It was the first outfield assist of Brett Batys career and it was a beauty to get Williams within an out of maneuvering through the inning, though Simon did score on the play. Williams then walked Jake Mangum, who also advanced to second on defensive indifference, and Brandon Lowe singled to cut the Mets lead to two runs. Bryan Reynolds then came to the plate as the tying run and hit a grounder that seemed to be making its way through the hole between first and second, but Marcus Semien made a great sliding grab to his left to throw out Reyonlds and stymie the Pirates comeback to end the game. SB Nation GameThreadsAmazin AvenueBucs DugoutBox scoresMLB.comESPNWin Probability AddedWhats WPA?Big Mets winner: Zac Thornton, +18% WPABig Mets loser: Bo Bichette, -7% WPAMets pitchers: +23% WPAMets hitters: +27% WPATeh aw3s0mest play: Marcus Semiens three-run homer in the third, +18.2% WPATeh sux0rest play:Jefry Yan walks the bases loaded in the seventh, -6.4% WPA

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Joc Pederson hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning and Nathan Eovaldi and three relievers combined to limit Baltimore to one run as the Texas Rangers beat the Orioles 2-1 Friday night.Pederson swung at the first pitch he saw from Shane Baz (4-11) and drove it 414 feet around the pole in right field, scoring Elias Diaz and giving the Rangers a lead they never relinquished. It was Pederson's 21st homer of the season and his eighth go-ahead homer of the year.The Rangers were limited to three hits, one each from Pederson, Brandon Nimmo, and Daz.Eovaldi worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out two. Tyler Alexander (3-2) earned the win after allowing one hit in two-thirds of an inning. Jacob Latz worked two scoreless innings for his 22nd save.The Orioles got a double from Leody Taveras and singles from Dylan Beavers, Coby Mayo, Colton Cowser, and Carlos Narvez.Baz threw eight innings innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out nine.Baltimore nearly tied the game with one out in the ninth, but Nimmo threw to Nicky Lopez from right. Lopez hit Daz, who managed to tag Taveras on his sliding mitt at home. The call on the field was confirmed after a replay review.The Rangers won their third straight game for the first time since the All-Star break and are 3-1 on their homestand. The Orioles lost their second straight and for the fourth time in seven games.Up nextOrioles RHP Kyle Bradish (7-10, 3.79 ERA) faces Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (7-7, 3.96) on Saturday.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb