Diamond Sports Group ordered to fully pay MLB teams' contracts  —  A U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled in favor of Major League Baseball and four of its teams in Houston on Thursday, forcing Diamond Sports Group, the RSN operator that airs broadcasts under the name Bally Sports, to fully pay the contracts in question.

Max Scherzer, Mark Canha power Mets past Phillies to complete sweep with 4-2 win  —  The Mets needed a sweep as badly as Mark Canha needed home runs.  They got both of those this week in a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  Canha powered the Mets past the Phillies for the second …

Yankees activate Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, Tommy Kahnle  —  LOS ANGELES — Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson and Tommy Kahnle were activated by the New York Yankees on Thursday ahead of their weekend series at the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  New York cleared three roster spots …

Jeff Passan's early MLB trade deadline preview  —  Every Los Angeles Angels victory, every day they spend over .500, every win-now move they make reinforces what people across baseball now almost universally believe: They will not trade Shohei Ohtani, the best player in the world, before the 6 p.m. ET deadline Aug. 1.

Orioles sign Aaron Hicks, former Yankees and Twins outfielder, and place Cedric Mullins on injured list  —  After Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins exited Monday's loss to the Cleveland Guardians with a right abductor groin strain, Baltimore acted quickly to find a replacement.

Pistons to hire Monty Williams as coach, per sources: Why Detroit made an offer he couldn't refuse  —  Monty Williams and the Detroit Pistons have agreed in principle on a six-year, $78.5 million deal for Williams to become the franchise's head coach, league sources told The Athletic on Wednesday.

Diamondbacks, paced by Tommy Henry, shut out Rockies; Christian Walker slugs 100th career HR  —  Nick Piecoro Jenna OrtizArizona Republic  —  For years, left-hander Tommy Henry was the least heralded of the Diamondbacks' wave of young starting pitchers.  But for the past month, he has been the best of the bunch.

Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout combine for 3 homers off Lance Lynn — totaling 1,345 feet— in the Chicago White Sox's 12-5 loss  —  Mike Trout launched a 461-foot, two-run homer to left-center on Lance Lynn's sixth pitch against the Los Angeles Angels.  —  Two innings later …

Angel City FC done in by late goal in NWSL Challenge Cup loss at Portland  —  Clarisse Le Bihan and Claire Emslie help Angel City erase a two-goal deficit, but the Thorns' Morgan Weaver scores in stoppage time to give her team a 3-2 win  —  PORTLAND, Ore. — Angel City FC erased a two-goal deficit …

HBO, Words + Pictures Step Up To Plate For Barry Bonds Project, Doc On Baseball Slugger Tarnished By Controversy  —  EXCLUSIVE: HBO and Words + Pictures have launched production on a documentary about Barry Bonds, one of baseball's greatest players - and one of the most polarizing figures in all professional sport.