(Milwaukee, WI) — For the first time this season, the Milwaukee Brewers are ranked second among all Major League Baseball teams. The Dodgers are still at the top, but recent struggles by the Braves dropped them down a notch. The Brewers open a home series against the Cubs with Jacob Misiorowski getting the start. At 49-and-29, Milwaukee is 20 games over .500 for the first time.
Pregame at 6:10pm. First pitch at 6:45pm on AM1240 & 96.5FM
(Green Bay, WI) — Packers tight end Tucker Kraft is moving closer to a big payday. He just put his house on the market, possibly anticipating an upgrade. The Falcons just extended Kyle Pitts on a deal worth 18 million, and the Jaguars handed a 16-million-dollar extension to Brenton Strange. Kraft’s paycheck should be in that neighborhood, and he could top George Kittle of the 49ers, who gets a little over 19 million. Kraft was performing at an All-Pro level when he was hurt last year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Charlotte Hornets have agreed to trade point guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round draft pick, three first-round pick swaps and three future second-round picks. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal has yet to be approved by the league. ESPN was first to report the trade. The three first-round pick swaps will be in 2028, 2029 and 2030. The Hornets also will get three second-round picks in 2029, 2032 and 2033. Charlotte also agreed to a three-year, $74 million contract with point guard Coby White to replace Ball. White, who backed up Ball last year, was set to become an unrestricted free agent.
(Milwaukee, WI) — Point guard Kevin Porter Junior sees the opportunity and has decided to stay with the Bucks. Clutch Points-dot-com reports Porter has decided to exercise his 5-point-4-million-dollar player option for the coming year. Injuries kept him off the court for more than half of last season. He averaged 17-point-4 points, 7-point-4 assists, and 5-point-2 rebounds in 38 games. It was a knee injury that knocked him out.
(Madison, WI) — The Wisconsin men’s basketball program has received a commitment from 4-star prospect Baboucarr Ann of Maple Grove, Minnesota. He and Jalen Brown of Wauwatosa give the Badgers two top 100 prospects in a class for the first time. Ann had offers from programs like Iowa State, Arizona State, and Minnesota. Rivals ranks Ann the number-40 overall recruit in the class of 2027.
Major League Baseball proposed limiting most free agent contracts to five years and 15% of a team’s salary cap and to eliminate deferred compensation, fleshing out details of a salary cap plan likely to spark a confrontation with the players’ association that could lead to the first loss of regular-season games since 1995. During a bargaining session Thursday at the union’s office, MLB said it would accept the union’s proposal granting free agency a year early for players who have reached age 30 as part of a salary cap system. MLB also proposed boosting the minimum salary from $780,000 to $1 million for those with two years of big league service.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kaan Ayhan scored on the final kick of the match, and Turkey beat the United States 3-2 for its only win of the World Cup. Auston Trusty scored in the third minute and Sebastian Berhalter got a tying goal early in the second half for the Americans, who had already won the group with victories over Paraguay and Australia. Pochettino fielded nine new starters for this low-stakes game, but Christian Pulisic entered in the 58th minute. Turkey won in the eighth minute of stoppage time when Can Uzun got the ball in space on the back post and got it to Ayhan.
THURSDAY
>>Major League Baseball
–NL Central Division
Milwaukee idle
FRIDAY
>>Major League Baseball
–NL Central Division
Chicago @ Milwaukee
SATURDAY
>>Major League Baseball
–NL Central Division
Chicago @ Milwaukee
SUNDAY
>>Major League Baseball
–NL Central Division
Chicago @ Milwaukee