Atlanta starters combine for 58 points in 86-49 victory over the Sky
Atlanta opened the third quarter on a 14-0 run and closed the frame with a 74-36 lead. The Dream made 13 field goals in the third — one more than the Sky had through three quarters.
The score was 62-26 before the Sky made their second field goal of the second half with 3:24 left in the third. The Dream led by as many as 43 in the fourth.
Both teams were missing key starters. Chicago star Angel Reese missed her first game of the season with a leg injury and guard Ariel Atkins was out due to a calf injury. Dream forward Rhyne Howard will be out for the rest of July with a knee injury.
Rookie Te-Hina Paopao finished with 13 points and Naz Hillmon scored 10 for Atlanta (13-9). Jordin Canada had eight assists.
Rebecca Allen had a team-high nine points and three 3-pointers — all in the third quarter — for Chicago (7-15). Kamilla Cardoso added eight points and 11 rebounds.
Chicago avoided its lowest scoring game in franchise history when Moriah Jefferson made a jumper in the lane with 30.3 seconds left.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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Whew, that was a lot. If that felt like an especially frantic MLB trade deadline, that's because it was: Major-league teams combined to execute a whopping 63 swaps in the week leading up to the July 31 cut-off, more than at any other deadline this century, and that included 52 trades in the final 48 hours. With the rare exception of a stunning swap such as the Rafael Devers blockbuster in June, trade activity doesn't usually pick up around the league until after the All-Star break, and this year was no different. Tend to procrastinate as much as possible, meaning the vast majority of deals don't actualize until the clock has nearly run out on deadline day. That results in a deluge of deals that can sometimes be difficult to process as the details come out, but it's also a thrill to follow as rosters are shaken up across baseball. 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Royals acquire OF Mike Yastrzemski from Giants for RHP Yunior Marte 48. Reds acquire INF/OF Miguel Andujar from Athletics for RHP Kenya Huggins 47. Phillies acquire OF Harrison Bader from Twins for OF Hendry Mendez, RHP Geremy Villoria 46. Dodgers acquire OF Alex Call from Nationals for RHP Eriq Swan, RHP Sean Paul Linan Nothing too complicated here. These are solid position players who fill specific needs on rosters but are unlikely to make a massive impact for their new teams. Call is having a sneaky solid season and stands out as one of the only major leaguers added by the defending World Series champs. Bullpen help 45. Angels acquire RHP Luis Garcia, LHP Andrew Chafin from Nationals for LHP Jake Eder, 1B Sam Brown 44. Brewers acquire RHP Shelby Miller, LHP Jordan Montgomery from D-backs for PTBNL or cash 43. Cubs acquire LHP Taylor Rogers from Pirates for OF Ivan Brethowr 42. Cubs acquire RHP Andrew Kittredge from Orioles for SS Wilfri De La Cruz 41. Rangers acquire LHP Danny Coulombe from Twins for LHP Garrett Horn 40. Tigers acquire RHP Paul Sewald from Guardians for PTBNL or cash 39. Tigers acquire RHP Kyle Finnegan from Nationals for RHP Josh Randall, RHP RJ Sales 38. Red Sox acquire LHP Steven Matz from Cardinals for 1B Blaze Jordan 37. Mariners acquire LHP Caleb Ferguson from Pirates for RHP Jeter Martinez 36. Blue Jays acquire RHP Seranthony Dominguez from Orioles for RHP Juaron Watts-Brown 35. Blue Jays acquire RHP Louis Varland, 1B Ty France from Twins for OF Alan Roden, LHP Kendrys Rojas 34. Rangers acquire RHP Phil Maton from Cardinals for LHP Mason Molina, RHP Skylar Hales 33. Yankees acquire RHP Jake Bird from Rockies for 2B Roc Riggio, LHP Ben Shields As always, there were a ton of relievers on the move this past week, and this tier of bullpen arms doesn't include the higher-profile, high-leverage arms who were dealt in more prominent swaps. 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Rotation help 29. Royals acquire LHP Bailey Falter from Pirates for LHP Evan Sisk, 1B Callan Moss 28. Tigers acquire RHP Charlie Morton from Orioles for LHP Micah Ashman 27. Cubs acquire RHP Michael Soroka from Nationals for OF Christian Franklin, INF Ronny Cruz 26. Tigers acquire RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Randy Dobnak from Twins for C Enrique Jimenez 25. Red Sox acquire RHP Dustin May from Dodgers for OF James Tibbs III, RHP Zach Ehrhard 24. Rangers acquire RHP Merrill Kelly from D-backs for LHP Mitch Bratt, LHP Kohl Drake, RHP David Hagaman Of this bunch, Kelly appears to be the likeliest to get the ball for a playoff start, though a lot of that could depend on how Tyler Mahle looks for Texas once he returns from injury. Either way, Kelly is a solid supporting starter behind co-aces Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi atop the Rangers' rotation. The rest of this group of starters project more as useful innings-eaters down the stretch, which is not an insignificant role whatsoever but is difficult to get excited about. Perhaps one of these guys breaks out into something more with his new team. The Rays are so weird 23. Rays acquire INF Jadher Arienamo from Brewers for C Danny Jansen 22. Rays acquire C Nick Fortes from Marlins for OF Matthew Etzel 21. Rays acquire OF Everson Pereira, PTBNL from Yankees for INF Jose Caballero 20. Rays acquire RHP Brian Van Belle, LHP Adam Serwinowski from Reds for RHP Zack Littell 19. Rays acquire C Hunter Feduccia from Dodgers for LHP Adam Serwinowski, C Ben Rortvedt, RHP Paul Gervase 18. Rays acquire RHP Adrian Houser from White Sox for INF Curtis Mead, RHP Duncan Davitt, RHP Ben Peoples 17. Rays acquire RHP Griffin Jax from Twins for RHP Taj Bradley Without question, no team had a stranger deadline than the Rays, who are known for making creative and unexpected trades but seemed to outdo themselves this year with a bizarre series of transactions. They traded Jansen to Milwaukee and immediately replaced him with another backstop in Fortes. They traded a rental starter in Littell for a prospect in Serwinowski to flip to the Dodgers as part of a package for another catcher in Feduccia, who has been buried on the Dodgers' depth chart for multiple seasons. Normally, trading away an expiring contract such as Littell would signal more selling was on the way, but instead, the Rays spent deadline day mostly adding: Houser, a starter who is also scheduled to hit free agency this winter, and then a real stunner in Jax, one of the most coveted relievers on the market with two years of team control after this one — and using an extremely promising young arm in Bradley to get him. Add trading Caballero to the Yankees while playing the Yankees, and this was a dizzying sequence of events. Did the Rays get better? Did they get worse? Are they trying to win now or later or what? I'm not sure, but as always, I was entertained watching this front office cook. Helpful hitters 16. Reds acquire 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes from Pirates for SS Sammy Stafura, LHP Taylor Rogers 15. Astros acquire OF Jesus Sanchez from Marlins for RHP Ryan Gusto, OF Esmil Valencia, INF Chase Jaworsky 14. Cubs acquire UTL Willi Castro from Twins for RHP Ryan Gallagher, RHP Sam Armstrong 13. Mariners acquire 1B Josh Naylor from D-backs for LHP Brandyn Garcia, RHP Ashton Izzi This quartet of position players all offer upside with notable red flags attached. Hayes' glove is spectacular, but his bat has evaporated in recent years. Sanchez is a streaky slugger who should help the ultra-injured Astros lineup but often struggles to reach base consistently. Castro can play anywhere defensively but has struggled with the bat of late and is a free agent at the end of this season. Naylor, too, is an expiring contract whose offensive floor is quite high, but he doesn't pack as much pop as you might expect, nor has he hit lefties especially well this season. Bye bye, birdies 12. Mets acquire LHP Gregory Soto from Orioles for RHP Wellington Aracena, RHP Cameron Foster 11. Mets acquire OF Cedric Mullins from Orioles for RHP Raimon Gomez, RHP Anthony Nunez, RHP Chandler Marsh 10. Padres acquire DH Ryan O'Hearn, OF Ramon Laureano from Orioles for LHP Boston Bateman, INF Brandon Butterworth, RHP Tyson Neighbors, RHP Tanner Smith, INF Cobb Hightower, INF Victor Figueroa Although ultimately outdone by the Twins with their epic teardown, Baltimore was plenty busy at this deadline, unloading as many expiring and short-term pieces as possible in search of future assets. The Orioles added a total of 15 prospects in eight trades over the past week, including adding a ton of exciting pitchers excelling in a variety of roles at nearly all levels. This should provide a path for the organization to improve on the mound in a necessary way. The Mets and Padres both benefitted greatly from Baltimore's sell-off, with New York addressing its center-field need with Mullins and adding to its new-look bullpen with Soto. San Diego managed to snag not one but two Orioles bats in O'Hearn and Laureano, bolstering a lineup that needed a boost. A former Cy Young on the move 9. Blue Jays acquire RHP Shane Bieber from Guardians for RHP Khal Stephen One of the themes of this year's deadline was a severe lack of impact starting pitching on the move. Despite a ton of rumors surrounding names such as Mitch Keller, Sandy Alcantara, MacKenzie Gore, Zac Gallen, Dylan Cease and Joe Ryan (among others), very few starting pitchers were dealt. And then there's Bieber. Still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Bieber has yet to pitch in the majors this season but looked sharp in his rehab outing Tuesday and showed enough to warrant significant interest from contenders looking for a possible playoff starter. Toronto swooped in and scooped him up in exchange for a stellar prospect in Stephen, signaling the belief that Bieber could raise the Jays' ceiling come October. How he fits into their crowded rotation remains to be seen, but this move clearly came with the postseason in mind. Big Apple bullpen arms 8. Yankees acquire RHP Camilo Doval from Giants for INF Jesus Rodriguez, RHP Trystan Vrieling, 3B Parks Harber, LHP Carlos De La Rosa 7. Yankees acquire RHP David Bednar from Pirates for C/1B Rafael Flores, C Edgleen Perez, OF Brian Sanchez 6. Mets acquire RHP Tyler Rogers from Giants for RHO Jose Butto, RHP Blade Tidwell, OF Drew Gilbert 5. Mets acquire RHP Ryan Helsley from Cardinals for SS Jesus Baez, RHP Nate Dohm, RHP Frank Elissalt Both New York teams were tremendously active leading up to the deadline, with each club's headlining moves a pair of top-tier relievers brought in to fortify the bullpen. The Yankees' bullpen has struggled across the board recently, while the Mets' relief corp has been thinned out by injury. All four of these pitchers are capable of being remarkably effective in their own way and should help turn their new teams' bullpens into legit strengths entering October. It's worth noting that on paper, it seems like the Yankees managed to pay less for two pitchers with multiple years of team control than what the Mets paid for two pitchers who will hit free agency this winter. That likely says more about the ever-evolving nature of these markets than how these clubs operate, but it stands out when comparing the swaps. Good vibes only 4. Mariners acquire 3B Eugenio Suarez from D-backs for 1B Tyler Locklear, RHP Hunter Cranton, RHP Juan Burgos Like the paucity of impact starting pitching on the move, there were also very few middle-of-the-order bats on the market at this year's deadline, which made Suarez an especially attractive player. Ultimately, it doesn't seem that his market materialized the way some might've envisioned, and the Mariners were able to secure a reunion with the slugging third baseman without surrendering any of their premium prospects — a nifty maneuver by Jerry Dipoto and Co. that suddenly gives Seattle one of the deeper lineups in baseball. Dave Dombrowski, everybody 3. Phillies acquire RHP Jhoan Duran from Twins for C Eduardo Tait, RHP Mick Abel A ton of big-time bullpen arms changed teams over the past few days, but perhaps no reliever filled a more obvious, specific team need than Duran for Philadelphia. It's a vintage Dombrowski deal, one that whisks away two heralded youngsters in exchange for an impact piece who can make a massive difference right away. And with Duran under team control for two more years, this isn't nearly the reckless, short-term gambit that Dombrowski has often been known to execute. This is two-and-half years of one of the best relievers on the planet acquired for two very good prospects, neither of whom Philadelphia is likely to lose sleep over as it chases a championship with its World Series window wide-open. This is an absolute slam-dunk for the Phillies and could pay humongous dividends come October. Preller gonna Preller 2. Padres acquire RHP Mason Miller, LHP JP Sears from Athletics for SS Leo De Vries, RHP Braden Nett, RHP Henry Baez, RHP Eduarniel Nunez Once the Guardians traded Bieber on Thursday, there were only two teams that had yet to make a trade in the week leading up to the deadline: the Athletics and the Padres. Turns out these two West Coast clubs were busy cooking up one of the more jaw-dropping blockbusters in recent memory, as the A's parted with baseball's hardest thrower and a premier relief ace in Miller for an astonishing package of four minor leaguers headlined by one of the top prospects in baseball in De Vries. It's the latest stunning trade on Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller's lengthy résumé of deals. The Padres entered the deadline with several clear holes on the roster (left field, DH, catcher, rotation depth), most of which were addressed via other trades (O'Hearn, Laureano, Freddy Fermin, Nestor Cortes Jr.). But one area of the roster that did not appear in need of upgrading was the bullpen, as Padres relievers have combined for the lowest ERA in baseball. Yet here we are, left to marvel at a superb collection of relievers now joined by Miller, supercharging the unit even more emphatically than what Tanner Scott did for them at the deadline a year ago. The fact that Miller is under team control through 2029 is why the cost was so exorbitant, and it will be fascinating to see if San Diego toys with moving him back to the rotation in the future, in hopes of further maximizing his value after giving up such a gargantuan haul. For now, we'll enjoy watching Miller throw outrageously hard out of the bullpen for the Padres while monitoring the progress of De Vries and the three promising arms the A's received in return. No matter what happens, there's a good chance we'll be talking about this trade for a long time. Carlos Correa is an Astro again (?!) 1. Astros acquire SS Carlos Correa from Twins for LHP Matt Mikulski As the deadline grew closer and it became clearer the Twins would be fairly aggressive sellers, there were whispers about the possibility of Minnesota unloading Correa back to where it all began, but the financial hurdles of the $103 million remaining on his contract seemed too large to overcome, even with Houston's affinity for its former shortstop. But when news came out that third baseman Isaac Paredes is likely to miss the remainder of the season due to a hamstring tear, Houston's urgency to add an infielder increased, reopening the possibility of the most unlikely of reunions. Sure enough, the salary dump heard 'round the world was completed Thursday, with the Astros assuming nearly 70% of Correa's contract and in turn giving up only a low-level pitcher in Mikulski to bring back a beloved, homegrown star to fortify their ultra-injured position-player group and play alongside his replacement, Jeremy Peña, who is expected to remain at shortstop while Correa shifts to the hot corner for the first time in his professional career. It took a mind-bending sequence of events for the Twins and Astros to end up at this point, but this deal stands alone atop this year's deadline ranking and signifies Minnesota's dramatic sell-off that defined much of the week's trade activity.
