Kylian Mbappé-led France falls flat in World Cup loss to Spain when hopes for a title were high

July 17, 2026

ARLINGTON, Texas — Kylian Mbappé had France poised for another run to the World Cup final with a team that seemingly had the offensive firepower to solve Spain's stout defense. Instead, Les Bleus had no answers in a 2-0 semifinal loss at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday in what is presumably coach Didier Deschamps' final appearance on soccer's biggest stage. Deschamps, who has said this would be his last World Cup, won a title as a player in 1998 and again as a coach eight years ago in Russia before leading France to the final in 2022 in Qatar. Argentina won that ...

Expanded playoffs make it hard to predict whether Skubal, Chapman, Gray get dealt

July 17, 2026

PHILADELPHIA — Expanded playoffs make it harder to predict whether Tarik Skubal and other choice acquisitions will be dealt before the Aug, 3 trade deadline. Twenty-three of the 30 teams are within four games of a playoff position heading into the season's second half, which opens Thursday ...

Brewers bolster rotation by getting Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon in a deal with the Astros

July 17, 2026

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers acquired right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and left-hander Colton Gordon from the Houston Astros on Wednesday for outfield prospect Jadyn Fielder. Houston agreed to pay Milwaukee $4,227,273 to offset most of McCullers' remaining salary, leaving ...

British Open is trying to get ahead of fan behavior with a published conduct code

July 17, 2026

SOUTHPORT, England — More than 300,000 fans will attend the British Open at Royal Birkdale this week, making it a record crowd for golf's oldest major championship. They'll need to bring sun cream and some manners. For the first time, the R&A has felt it necessary to publish a fan code ...

Cease, bullpen combine on 3-hitter in AL’s 4-0 win, first All-Star shutout since 2013

July 16, 2026

PHILADELPHIA — Dylan Cease started a parade of pitchers that shut down a slew of baseball's best batters in a display of the pitching dominance that rules the sport. "I thought before the game about starting with a changeup and I thought it would be funny," he said. He didn't. And the ...

All in the family: Cody Bellinger wins All-Star MVP as his dad, former big leaguer Clay, looks on

July 16, 2026

PHILADELPHIA — Cody Bellinger had a night for the ages. His young daughters sat next to him and his father watched from the back of the room as he spoke about winning the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player award. "Just being able to hang out and watching him win an award, it's pretty cool," former Yankee Clay Bellinger said after his son's two-run single in the first inning off Cristopher Sánchez started the American League to a 4-0 win on Tuesday night. Cody re-signed with the Yankees last winter for a $162.5 million, five-year deal and he has been a key part of the offense. ...