AROUND THE HORN
Braves: Braves have agreed to an $8 million contract extension with catcher Travis d’Arnaud that ensures his return in 2023, as well as a club option that could extend the deal for a second season. D’Arnaud recently rejoined the firstplace Braves after missing more than three months with a thumb injury. The deal announced Friday includes an $8 million club option for 2024 with no buyout. The streaking Braves team finalized the extension before the start of a weekend series in Baltimore. They had won 13 of 15 games — including a season-best, six-game winning streak — to build a four-game lead in the NL East. The 32-year-old d’Arnaud was hitting .223 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 23 games, but the Braves are hopeful he can regain the form he showed in his first season with the club in 2020. D’Arnaud batted .321 with nine homers and 34 RBIs, earning an NL Silver Slugger award as the top hitter as his position and helping the Braves win their third straight NL East title. “He wanted to be here and we wanted him to stay,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “It’s a really good fit.” The Braves came within one game of reaching the World Series last year, squandering a 3-1 lead to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. D’Arnaud had two homers and 10 RBIs in 12 postseason games.
Royals: Salvador Perez hit two of Kansas City’s five home runs in the Royals’ 6-2 victory over the Cubs on Friday. Emmanuel Rivera hit his first career homer, and Andrew Benitendi and Cam Gallagher also connected. The Royals are last in the American League in home runs with 124. Perez broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with his second homer of the day off Zach Davies (6-10). The catcher also connected in the fourth. Royals starter Brad Keller (8-12) had his second straight strong start after giving up two earned runs in 6 innings against St. Louis on Saturday. The right-hander struck out eight, allowing one earned run on four hits in six innings. Richard Lovelady, Jake Brentz and Scott Barlow finished for the Royals in the opener of a 10-game trip. Kansas City has won four of its last five games. Chicago’s Patrick Wisdom homered in the third. He leads NL rookies with 19 homers. Davies allowed four home runs. The right-hander threw six innings, allowing five hits and striking out five. Rivera tied it with his homer in the fifth, Benitendi hit a solo shot in the sixth and Jarrod Dyson added an insurance run in the eighth when he drove in a run on a grounder off reliever Ryan Meisinger. Gallagher homered off Jake Jewell in the ninth. Chicago has lost 11 straight home games. The Cubs have dropped 43 of their last 58 games.
Brewers: One month after leading the Bucks to their first NBA title in half a century, Giannis Antetokounmpo is teaming up with the city’s other major pro sports franchise by joining the Brewers’ ownership group. “Man, this is unbelievable,” Antetokounmpo said Friday at a news conference. “This is a dream come true for a kid from Sepolia, Athens, Greece, born from immigrant parents. I could have never imagined I would be in this position.” Antetokounmpo is the first new individual investor who has been added to the Brewers ownership group since Mark Attanasio purchased controlling interest of the franchise in 2005.