June 2025

There were 1,837 posts published in June 2025 (this is page 131 of 184).

Red Sox’s season is far from over, but their defense, pitching need to find answers soon

The Red Sox’s roller coaster is, for the time being, climbing back uphill.

In a tumultuous season defined by chaos, inconsistency and awkward roster fits, Boston’s 11-7 win over the Yankees on Sunday secured the club’s most encouraging series win of the year so far. The Sox pitched poorly against their rivals, surrendering 23 runs over three games, but a locked-in lineup managed to overcome the team’s poor defense and pitching woes.

The galvanizing victory was a prime reminder that this Red Sox club, while immensely flawed, is still incredibly talented. And despite all the drama, the hand-wringing, the underwhelming record, the bad defense, the injured superstar and the underperforming rotation, Boston’s season is far, far from over.

Because this team can rake.

Even with perennial All-Star Alex Bregman on the injured list and top prospect Roman Anthony wallowing in Triple-A (until his call-up Monday, that is), the Red Sox are finding ways to put runs on the board. They clocked five home runs Sunday in the Bronx, continuing a torrid June that has Boston’s lineup atop most leaderboards this month.

Besides full-time DH Rafael Devers, who’s enjoying the best statistical season of his career, much of Boston’s production has come from unlikely sources.

Rookie catcher Carlos Narváez, acquired from the Yankees in December, has been a revelation. Since the start of May, the 26-year-old has been baseball’s best hitting catcher besides MVP candidate Cal Raleigh. Unheralded utility man Romy González, who was 3-for-4 with a homer Saturday, has an adjusted OPS 28% better than league average. Lefty-killer Rob Refsnyder has a .947 OPS against southpaws. And journeyman Abraham Toro, who spent the first month of the season in Triple-A, is slashing .341/.353/.573 since his call-up on May 4.

That quartet, alongside the ever-mashing Devers, has kept the Red Sox from imploding over the past five weeks.

Since the beginning of May, Boston’s 5.19 rotation ERA is the third-worst mark in MLB, better than only those of the lowly Athletics and the historically awful Rockies. To be clear, the starting pitching wasn’t much better over the weekend against the Yankees. On Friday, Walker Buehler allowed seven runs while recording just six outs. In Saturday’s victory, ace Garrett Crochet had one of his worst outings of the year. On Sunday, rookie Hunter Dobbins was sufficient in a three-earned-run start.

Buehler’s Game 1 meltdown — two homers and five runs in the first inning — was emblematic of Boston’s most persistent pitching issue: catastrophic first innings. The team’s 7.12 first-inning ERA would be the worst full-season mark by any club (Coors Field Rockies excluded) since 2006. It probably goes without saying that that kind of start puts an offense in an immediate hole and makes winning, well, difficult.

Buehler, whose most recent Yankee Stadium appearance came during Los Angeles’ Game 5 clincher last October, looked out of sorts on the mound Friday and out of answers in the clubhouse afterward. The typically confident right-hander admitted that he’s searching to regain his trademark on-mound conviction. Boston gave Buehler $21 million to help solidify its rotation, but since returning a few weeks ago from an IL stint, he has delivered a pair of volcanic, destabilizing starts.

While the rotation has struggled, much of those issues are intertwined with the team’s bizarrely assembled position-player group.

All year, this roster has been an incoherent hodgepodge of puzzle pieces. Signing Bregman to play third base, promoting top prospect Kristian Campbell to play second and keeping Triston Casas at first all compounded to cement Devers as the every-day DH. But Bregman and Casas are now both on the IL, leaving the corners to be occupied by some combination of Gonzalez, Toro and recent rookie call-up Marcelo Mayer.

To their credit, that group on the corners has held its own. But up the middle, things are falling apart. The Story/Campbell tandem has been worth minus-11 outs above average, one of the most reliable public defensive metrics, which is easily the worst mark in the American League. The AL “runners up” for worst middle infield OAA, Baltimore and Seattle, are tied with a distant minus-6. Only the Nationals, at minus-13, have been worse than the Red Sox.

Considering how important middle-infield defense is, Boston’s situation isn’t just ugly. It’s unsustainable.

As a team, Boston is converting only 68% of batted balls into outs, the fourth-worst rate in MLB. The Red Sox also lead baseball in errors, a flawed but still somewhat representative defensive stat. So while the rotation besides Crochet has generally underwhelmed, that group isn’t getting much help from a defense that has multiple pieces playing out of position. Rushed throws and sluggish turns have exacerbated the situation for Boston’s already thin pitching depth.

And here’s the truth: This team will go only as far as its run prevention allows. Which, so far, has been nowhere near good enough. How everything fits together with the addition of Anthony and once Bregman gets back later in the summer remains to be seen, but finding a way to improve the defense and pitching will be absolutely vital if Boston is going to leap back into contention.

The bones of this team are too good and the Red Sox have too much potential to let this highly anticipated season go to waste. But this team can’t outslug its problems forever.

Red Sox’s season is far from over, but their defense, pitching need to find answers soon

The Red Sox’s roller coaster is, for the time being, climbing back uphill.

In a tumultuous season defined by chaos, inconsistency and awkward roster fits, Boston’s 11-7 win over the Yankees on Sunday secured the club’s most encouraging series win of the year so far. The Sox pitched poorly against their rivals, surrendering 23 runs over three games, but a locked-in lineup managed to overcome the team’s poor defense and pitching woes.

The galvanizing victory was a prime reminder that this Red Sox club, while immensely flawed, is still incredibly talented. And despite all the drama, the hand-wringing, the underwhelming record, the bad defense, the injured superstar and the underperforming rotation, Boston’s season is far, far from over.

Because this team can rake.

Even with perennial All-Star Alex Bregman on the injured list and top prospect Roman Anthony wallowing in Triple-A (until his call-up Monday, that is), the Red Sox are finding ways to put runs on the board. They clocked five home runs Sunday in the Bronx, continuing a torrid June that has Boston’s lineup atop most leaderboards this month.

Besides full-time DH Rafael Devers, who’s enjoying the best statistical season of his career, much of Boston’s production has come from unlikely sources.

Rookie catcher Carlos Narváez, acquired from the Yankees in December, has been a revelation. Since the start of May, the 26-year-old has been baseball’s best hitting catcher besides MVP candidate Cal Raleigh. Unheralded utility man Romy González, who was 3-for-4 with a homer Saturday, has an adjusted OPS 28% better than league average. Lefty-killer Rob Refsnyder has a .947 OPS against southpaws. And journeyman Abraham Toro, who spent the first month of the season in Triple-A, is slashing .341/.353/.573 since his call-up on May 4.

That quartet, alongside the ever-mashing Devers, has kept the Red Sox from imploding over the past five weeks.

Since the beginning of May, Boston’s 5.19 rotation ERA is the third-worst mark in MLB, better than only those of the lowly Athletics and the historically awful Rockies. To be clear, the starting pitching wasn’t much better over the weekend against the Yankees. On Friday, Walker Buehler allowed seven runs while recording just six outs. In Saturday’s victory, ace Garrett Crochet had one of his worst outings of the year. On Sunday, rookie Hunter Dobbins was sufficient in a three-earned-run start.

Buehler’s Game 1 meltdown — two homers and five runs in the first inning — was emblematic of Boston’s most persistent pitching issue: catastrophic first innings. The team’s 7.12 first-inning ERA would be the worst full-season mark by any club (Coors Field Rockies excluded) since 2006. It probably goes without saying that that kind of start puts an offense in an immediate hole and makes winning, well, difficult.

Buehler, whose most recent Yankee Stadium appearance came during Los Angeles’ Game 5 clincher last October, looked out of sorts on the mound Friday and out of answers in the clubhouse afterward. The typically confident right-hander admitted that he’s searching to regain his trademark on-mound conviction. Boston gave Buehler $21 million to help solidify its rotation, but since returning a few weeks ago from an IL stint, he has delivered a pair of volcanic, destabilizing starts.

While the rotation has struggled, much of those issues are intertwined with the team’s bizarrely assembled position-player group.

All year, this roster has been an incoherent hodgepodge of puzzle pieces. Signing Bregman to play third base, promoting top prospect Kristian Campbell to play second and keeping Triston Casas at first all compounded to cement Devers as the every-day DH. But Bregman and Casas are now both on the IL, leaving the corners to be occupied by some combination of Gonzalez, Toro and recent rookie call-up Marcelo Mayer.

To their credit, that group on the corners has held its own. But up the middle, things are falling apart. The Story/Campbell tandem has been worth minus-11 outs above average, one of the most reliable public defensive metrics, which is easily the worst mark in the American League. The AL “runners up” for worst middle infield OAA, Baltimore and Seattle, are tied with a distant minus-6. Only the Nationals, at minus-13, have been worse than the Red Sox.

Considering how important middle-infield defense is, Boston’s situation isn’t just ugly. It’s unsustainable.

As a team, Boston is converting only 68% of batted balls into outs, the fourth-worst rate in MLB. The Red Sox also lead baseball in errors, a flawed but still somewhat representative defensive stat. So while the rotation besides Crochet has generally underwhelmed, that group isn’t getting much help from a defense that has multiple pieces playing out of position. Rushed throws and sluggish turns have exacerbated the situation for Boston’s already thin pitching depth.

And here’s the truth: This team will go only as far as its run prevention allows. Which, so far, has been nowhere near good enough. How everything fits together with the addition of Anthony and once Bregman gets back later in the summer remains to be seen, but finding a way to improve the defense and pitching will be absolutely vital if Boston is going to leap back into contention.

The bones of this team are too good and the Red Sox have too much potential to let this highly anticipated season go to waste. But this team can’t outslug its problems forever.

These Apple Devices Won’t Get Software Updates Anymore

During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple announced a ton of great features for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26—but not all Apple devices are coming along for the ride. While the company has a great track record for supporting devices for years, some devices won’t be getting any of these updates. Here’s a quick list for you to check if your devices will continue to receive updates beyond this fall.

Three iPhones didn’t make the iOS 26 cut

It’s a good thing that I gave away my old iPhone XS Max earlier this year, because it’s one of the following three iPhones which do not support iOS 26:

  • iPhone XR

  • iPhone XS

  • iPhone XS Max

One iPad won’t be getting iPadOS 26

On the iPad front, the news is mostly good, except for those who are still holding onto the iPad (7th Gen). That tablet won’t be getting iPadOS 26, but all other devices running iPadOS 18 will receive the OS upgrade this fall.

Almost all Intel Macs are being left behind

The gradual cull of the Intel Macs continues. Apple is dropping many of them for macOS Tahoe, including:

  • MacBook Air (2020, Intel)

  • MacBook Pro (2018, all models)

  • MacBook Pro (2019, 13-inch and 15-inch models)

  • MacBook Pro (2020, Intel, 2 Thunderbolt ports)

  • Mac mini (2018)

  • iMac (2019)

  • iMac Pro (2017)

Curiously, macOS Tahoe does support the 2020 MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt ports, which is sad news for the owners of the model with two ports. Apple doesn’t explain why it’s only continuing to support the four-port models, but I doubt it’s because of the extra ports. It looks like the two-port models shipped with an 8th-gen 1.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, while the four-port came with a 10th-gen 2.0GHz quad‑core Intel Core i5. While you could configure the two-port with a faster processor, it was still an 8th-gen, which I suspect is the reason Apple is dropping it for Tahoe.

Apple isn’t dropping support for any watches this year

Fortunately, it looks like all Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 11 are getting upgraded to watchOS 16. While the devices mentioned above won’t get upgraded to the newest software versions, Apple may issue security updates or minor software updates from time to time.

Red Sox call up top prospect Roman Anthony ahead of series with Rays

It was only a matter of time before Roman Anthony officially joined the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox called up Anthony, who is MLB Pipeline’s top prospect in the sport, on Monday afternoon, the team confirmed. Anthony is expected to join the team Monday, when the Red Sox kick off a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Anthony will play right field and bat fifth in the lineup on Monday night, manager Alex Cora confirmed. The decision to bring Anthony up now came together quickly, he said, especially after the team lost Wilyer Abreu to the 10-day injured list.

“We’re trying to win ball games, and the kid has done an amazing job … just getting ready for htis moment,” Cora said, via MLB.com. “Obviously not the way you want, right? Because Wilyer is great player, great defender, good at-bat, but [Anthony will] be here. We’re excited. It’s a big day for the organization.”

The 21-year-old outfielder entered the season as one of the best prospects in the sport, but he remained in the minors for the first few months of the season. He more than proved his worth Friday, though, when he hit a grand slam that traveled nearly 500 feet with the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate. The 497-foot blast in the eighth inning of the Worcester Red Sox’s matchup against the Rochester Red Wings was the longest home run hit in the minors and Major League Baseball this season, and it would have been the fifth-longest home run in MLB since 2015.

Several of the sport’s best players — including Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr. and others — have never hit a ball that far. It was also less than 10 feet off the Statcast record.

Anthony held a .288 batting average and had 10 home runs with 29 RBIs in 58 games with Worcester this season. He is the third big-time prospect the Red Sox have called up this season, following Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer.

“We’ll use him the right way and we’ll help him with the adjustments that come of being a big leaguer,” Cora said. “But I think as far as being a person, just being around him in spring training and all that, he’s a mature kid, he understands his craft, wants to get better. There’s a few things that we still believe he needs to improve, but we’ll help him here. I think he’s going to be OK.”

The Red Sox enter Monday’s series with the Rays with a 32-35 record, which has them fourth in the AL East standings. While they’ve won three of their past four games, including two against the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have a ways to go after their slow start to the 2025 campaign. Time will tell if Anthony can provide a big enough boost to get them to their first postseason appearance since 2021.

Red Sox call up top prospect Roman Anthony ahead of series with Rays

It was only a matter of time before Roman Anthony officially joined the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox called up Anthony, who is MLB Pipeline’s top prospect in the sport, on Monday afternoon, the team confirmed. Anthony is expected to join the team Monday, when the Red Sox kick off a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Anthony will play right field and bat fifth in the lineup on Monday night, manager Alex Cora confirmed. The decision to bring Anthony up now came together quickly, he said, especially after the team lost Wilyer Abreu to the 10-day injured list.

“We’re trying to win ball games, and the kid has done an amazing job … just getting ready for htis moment,” Cora said, via MLB.com. “Obviously not the way you want, right? Because Wilyer is great player, great defender, good at-bat, but [Anthony will] be here. We’re excited. It’s a big day for the organization.”

The 21-year-old outfielder entered the season as one of the best prospects in the sport, but he remained in the minors for the first few months of the season. He more than proved his worth Friday, though, when he hit a grand slam that traveled nearly 500 feet with the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate. The 497-foot blast in the eighth inning of the Worcester Red Sox’s matchup against the Rochester Red Wings was the longest home run hit in the minors and Major League Baseball this season, and it would have been the fifth-longest home run in MLB since 2015.

Several of the sport’s best players — including Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr. and others — have never hit a ball that far. It was also less than 10 feet off the Statcast record.

Anthony held a .288 batting average and had 10 home runs with 29 RBIs in 58 games with Worcester this season. He is the third big-time prospect the Red Sox have called up this season, following Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer.

“We’ll use him the right way and we’ll help him with the adjustments that come of being a big leaguer,” Cora said. “But I think as far as being a person, just being around him in spring training and all that, he’s a mature kid, he understands his craft, wants to get better. There’s a few things that we still believe he needs to improve, but we’ll help him here. I think he’s going to be OK.”

The Red Sox enter Monday’s series with the Rays with a 32-35 record, which has them fourth in the AL East standings. While they’ve won three of their past four games, including two against the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have a ways to go after their slow start to the 2025 campaign. Time will tell if Anthony can provide a big enough boost to get them to their first postseason appearance since 2021.

iPadOS 26 Basically Turns Your iPad Into a MacBook

Finally, at WWDC 2025, Apple has done what I’ve been asking for for years. In addition to Liquid Glass, iPadOS 26 finally gives the iPad a proper, Mac-style window management system. You can now have multiple windows on the same screen, complete with a menu bar! And there are more features, like the Preview app, background tasks, a better Files app, and more.

A real windowing system for the iPad


Credit: Apple

A real window management system is coming to the iPad, and it has nothing to do with the more limited Stage Manager feature. By default, apps on iPad will still be full screen. But now, they’ll have a grab-handle on the side that lets you resize the window down to a smaller size, then move that window around the screen. Revealing your screen will bring up the dock, and you can have multiple windows on screen at once. You can even open any app you had previously opened, and it will resume its latest state, with the exact same size and position on the screen. Just like on Mac!

And yes, real window management means also means the iPad is getting Mac-style traffic-light buttons for closing, minimizing, and making apps full screen. When you hover on these buttons with the new, smaller cursor pointer, they will automatically expand.

Just like the Mac, there’s also a tiling feature, where you can simply grab and flick a window to the left or the right to dock it to either side. Additionally, you can swipe up to open the Home Screen and then open any app you want. Yes, again, very much like on Mac.

The Mac features don’t stop here. Apple is also bringing in Mac-style Expose. If you swipe up and hold, all your windows will spread out in one single view, making it easier to switch between them.

The menu bar is here


Credit: Apple

Apple is also adding a Menu bar to the iPad, finally putting an end to all the hidden gestures and menus. It’ll pop up when you take your cursor to the top of the screen. It’s arranged to be similar to the Mac’s Menu bar, and will show all your app’s features and options in one place, with keyboard shortcuts, too. This will be a great option for complex apps.

Upgraded files management


Credit: Apple

The iPad Files app is finally getting the upgrade it deserves. There’s a new List view with a lot more detail for each file and folder. Even the folder icon customization feature from Mac is coming to the iPad.

Plus, the Files app now lets you choose a Default app for each file type. Folders can be added to the Dock for easier access. And just like on the Mac, tapping on your Folders will make them fan out to show all the files inside them.

Preview comes to the iPad


Credit: Apple

Preview is a dedicated app for viewing, annotating, highlighting, and filling in PDFs. Plus it works for images, too, just like on the Mac.

Not just limited to the iPad Pro

All iPads that support iPadOS 26 will get access to the windowing system, including the new standard iPad and the iPad mini.

According to Apple, the new features in iPadOS 26 will be available for iPad Pro (M4), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad (A16), iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad mini (5th generation and later).

How to try iPadOS 26 now with the developer beta

If you want to try out iPadOS 26 before the official release, the only way to go about at the moment is using the Developer beta. Know, though, that the Public beta, which will roll out sometime in July, is a more stable option, and is probably best for most people. The Developer beta might be buggy and could be prone to crashing.

If you want to try it out regardless, first sign up for an Apple Developer account (it’s free, though you’ll need to use two-factor authentication). Next, go to Settings > General > Software Update and then tap the new Beta Updates option. Here, switch to iPadOS 26 Developer Beta. Now, go Back, wait for the Beta update to show up, and tap Update Now.

All the Features Apple ‘Borrowed’ for iOS 26 and MacOS 26

Apple announced a number of new features today during WWDC, and some of them might seem familiar—probably because you’ve seen them elsewhere before. It’s a particularly bad day for the team at Raycast, a widely popular Spotlight replacement that Mac power users know well. A number of that application’s best features—from an AI integration to searching menu bar items to triggering custom actions inside applications—are now offered in Spotlight as of this fall’s macOS 26.

But Apple didn’t just grab ideas from people building useful applications for their own ecosystem. They also tasked their world-class engineering and design teams to copy features from competing products built by other tech behemoths. There’s the call-screening feature and hold-assist features, both of which have been offered on Google’s Pixel phones for years. There’s the live translation feature, already available on Samsung Galaxy Phones. And there’s the circle to search feature, which is already available on Android. Apple’s unique vision and attention to detail made it possible to offer these features years after they were available elsewhere.

The Messages app will now mirror the backgrounds and polling features from Whatsapp and Telegram, allowing you to put pictures behind your conversations in yet another place. Only Apple could deliver this kind of seamless experience (with the possible exception of the other applications that offered them years ago, of course).


Credit: Apple

Steve Jobs himself once said, “Good artists copy; great artists steal”—a saying that he may have borrowed from Pablo Picaso (at the very least, the sentiment dates back to the 1800s). I supposed it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and these features are good ones—plus, some amount of copying, tweaking, and reinventing of ideas is inevitable in this space.

Apple Just Announced Two New AirPods Features No One Saw Coming

Although AirPods were just a side attraction at the WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple announced a couple of features that make the headphones a lot more useful. The company announced that you can now use your AirPods as a camera remote, and that AirPods will soon be getting “studio-quality” audio recording. These features are coming to the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4, and the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation.

Using your AirPods as a camera remote

The camera remote feature is exactly what the name suggests—a way to control your phone camera from a distance. Apple is planning to let you use your AirPods as a shutter button for your iPhone or iPad. Once this feature releases alongside iOS 26 this Fall, you’ll be able to use the button in the AirPods’ stem to take photos, or start and stop video recordings. Apple says that you can press and hold the AirPods stem to take photos or toggle video recordings (depending on what mode your camera app is in). This could be great for taking group photos, creating TikTok videos, or for captures that require you to place your iPhone or iPad at an awkward angle. Apple said this feature will also be coming to third-party camera apps, too.

Studio quality recording for AirPods

During the keynote, Apple also revealed that studio-quality recording is coming to the same three AirPods models. The company said an upcoming firmware update will allow creators to record “studio-quality vocals” using their AirPods, and Voice Isolation is also being improved to further enhance voice quality. Apple is pitching the AirPods as a quality mic for podcasters, singers, and content creators, although I’ll remain skeptical of its abilities until I see this feature in action. 

The improved AirPods mic quality will work with your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and it’ll support both Apple’s own and third-party apps. Apple promises more natural voice texture and quality across iPhone calls, FaceTime, and CallKit-enabled apps. The company attributed this to the H2 chip on the AirPods, beamforming microphones, and computational audio. 

WNBA Preview: Lynx try to stay undefeated, Caitlin Clark nears return from quad injury

The WNBA’s third week of action came and went, providing us viewers with five days’ worth of on-court entertainment and two game-less days that allowed us to catch our breath. And while the off-days forced many WNBA followers to await more action eagerly, the week’s scheduling didn’t impact everyone equally.

“Cathy (Engelbert) added a lot of games. Nine games in 18 days; that’s not really responsible for a commissioner,” said the Mercury’s Satou Sabally following a 77-89 loss on Saturday to the Storm. Sabally’s comments came on the heels of Phoenix’s fourth game of the week, which led the team to reach ten games played before any other league member.

Each WNBA team is slated for a record-setting 44-game schedule this regular season, and there’s no reason to believe that anything would cause the schedule to become shorter anytime soon. Yet, with so many injuries across the league despite not even being a full month into the season, Sabally’s call-out shouldn’t be dismissed. It’ll be worth paying attention to how, or if, the commissioner can tinker with the schedule on the margins in the coming years to prevent situations.

The injury-plagued Mercury will play just two games this week.

The Commissioner’s Cup was also one of the bigger storylines of the week. Phoenix has logged four Cup games, though most teams are either two or three games in. Unsurprisingly, the Liberty and Lynx (both undefeated this regular season) sit atop their respective conferences in the Cup’s standings. The coincidence is that both franchises are the two most recent Cup champions, with Minnesota winning last season and New York in 2023. Both used their Commissioner’s Cup titles to assemble WNBA Finals runs in those same seasons, but ultimately came up short. With the 2024 WNBA Finals participants seemingly on track to link back up on familiar stages, it’s fair to wonder if, realistically, there is a team that could ruin those plans.

The third week also saw several well-traveled veterans sustain their early-season production to continue putting together somewhat unforeseen seasons deep into their careers.

Erica Wheeler’s re-emergence after mostly being a veteran depth piece a season ago with the Fever has been fun, as she’s grown into an actual offensive focal point in her debut season with the Storm — she averaged 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two games this past week while making her way to the starting unit. On the heels of a 32-point showing, Odyssey Sims had another exceptional week and is quietly thriving as a reliable combo-guard alongside Kelsey Plum in her second stint with the Sparks. And how about Bria Hartley, who, after two years out of the league, found her way into the Sun’s starting five and helped them secure their first couple of wins?

Week 3 left us plenty to discuss, and this upcoming round of games should be no different. The fourth week of the season will take most teams a quarter of the way through their schedules, putting us at the point where the early-season data is long enough not to be considered insignificant.

Below are five games this week to circle on your calendars.

Golden State Valkyries @ Los Angeles Sparks

(Monday, June 9 at 10 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)

Perhaps you had a chance to take in the Valkyries’ win on national television over the Aces on Saturday. Their 27-point thumping of Las Vegas ended a four-game skid and served as perhaps the signature win of this franchise’s inaugural season. And what better momentum to ride into a tie-breaker tonight against the team that handed you your first-ever defeat? But viewers aren’t tuning into this one only for what Golden State has to offer — the Sparks bring plenty to the table. More on the Valkyries’ debut game referenced above — Kelsey Plum logged her first regular-season minutes for the Sparks and pieced together a memorable, 37-point performance to bring in the new season before the Valkyries avenged that loss exactly a week later on the backs of rookies Carla Leite and Janelle Salaun. Plum’s ability to electrify as a scorer and the two-way versatility of players like Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens make the Sparks an incredibly entertaining team to watch, and the trilogy a must-see.

Indiana Fever @ Atlanta Dream

(Tuesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3 and WNBA League Pass)

Speaking of trilogies, how about another? The Fever and Dream engaged in battle twice during the first full week of the season, with both teams capturing a victory on the other’s home court. Both Indiana and Atlanta have had to endure key injuries since then, but they each managed to stay afloat. Specifically, the Fever playing .500 basketball in the four games Caitlin Clark missed is noteworthy, and their two-game winning streak heading into Tuesday’s contest only adds to the hype. Meanwhile, a healthy Dream roster is making a case to have their name thrown into conversations when discussing championship contenders. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray have the best seasons of their careers, while Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner make up one of the most challenging frontcourts in the WNBA to play against. The first two meetings provided top-tier basketball; the third should as well.

Minnesota Lynx @ Seattle Storm

(Wednesday, June 11 at 10 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)

The Lynx look like a team on a mission to right the wrongs of how last season’s WNBA Finals concluded — they sit at 9-0 with Napheesa Collier once again dialing up MVP-like performances to begin the season, Courtney Williams is orchestrating the offense, while the remaining pieces are falling seamlessly into place. The results have equaled the storied franchise’s best start to a season since 2017, the last year they won a WNBA championship. Seattle played Minnesota tough in the first go-around, though. And on the heels of back-to-back wins, their veteran make-up could serve as the ideal team construction to rise to the occasion of a big regular-season matchup such as this one.

Los Angeles Sparks @ Minnesota Lynx

(Saturday, June 14 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS)

While Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles are long-removed from their days representing Los Angeles and Minnesota, it’s hard not to think about them and the back-to-back WNBA Finals matchups they gifted us in the mid-2010s when seeing the words “Lynx” and “Sparks” next to one another. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and Sparks guard Odyssey Sims are the only ones left from the battles mentioned above, yet the two rosters that will share the floor feature several high-caliber performers. Minnesota served Los Angeles a double-digit beatdown on the season’s third day. What can the Sparks do differently this time to make this one uncomfortable for the Lynx?

New York Liberty @ Indiana Fever

(Saturday, June 14 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC)

We were treated to one of the most entertaining games yet when the Liberty and Fever met in Indiana on the second Saturday of the season. Both teams held double-digit leads and appeared on their way to victories before allowing massive runs to swing the momentum in the opposite direction. An outstanding fourth quarter from Jonquel Jones, go-ahead free throws from Sabrina Ionescu, and Natasha Cloud’s game-winning defensive stop on Caitlin Clark on the following possession ultimately kept New York unbeaten. The two retake center stage three weeks later for another nationally televised showdown. And it could mark the return of Clark from her quad injury. The Fever were moments away from logging the win during the first meeting, so a victory and possibly New York’s first loss feels like a realistic potential outcome. However, dealing with the league’s No. 1 offense and defense will be quite the task for Indiana.

Report: Falcons expect Kirk Cousins to report to minicamp Tuesday

Kirk Cousins has not been with the Falcons for most of their voluntary offseason work, but the quarterback is expected to take a different approach for the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports that the team expects Cousins to report for the three-day minicamp. Cousins is under contract, so he would be subject to fines if he misses the minicamp without being excused by the team.

Cousins signed a four-year deal with Atlanta last March, but the Falcons later used a first-round pick on Michael Penix and Penix replaced Cousins as the team’s starter during the 2024 season. Cousins is guaranteed $27.5 million in salary this season and the Falcons have said that they are comfortable keeping him on the roster as a backup to Penix.

Cousins has been less enthusiastic about the prospect of staying with the team, but no trade has materialized and moving him may take an injury somewhere else at some point in the summer or fall.