Sports
Looking to tighten grip on playoff spot, Twins face Guardians
Sep 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins left fielder Willi Castro (50) and center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrate a win over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images While the Cleveland Guardians are on the verge of clinching a postseason berth, the Minnesota Twins continue their fight to remain in playoff position.
Looking to build on a needed win and attempting to level the current four-game series, the visiting Twins will try to end their season struggles against the Guardians’ Tanner Bibee on Wednesday night.
Minnesota (80-71) failed to hold a late 3-1 lead in a series-opening 4-3 loss on Monday, but the Twins added to a late 2-1 advantage on Tuesday. After Matt Wallner gave the Twins that lead with RBI singles in the third and fifth innings, Willi Castro clubbed a two-run homer in the eighth to pave the way for a 4-1 victory.
“Always go out there, trust yourself and enjoy the game,” Castro told Bally Sports North.
The Twins are 10-18 since Aug. 18, but they still hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Detroit Tigers for the final American League wild-card spot.
“Everyone’s aware of the standings,” Minnesota pitcher Pablo Lopez said. “We can’t let that give us self-inflicted pressure.”
Cleveland (87-65), meanwhile, could be officially playoff-bound by the time the series ends Thursday.
The Guardians have won all three times that Bibee (11-8, 3.60 ERA) has started against the Twins this year. Bibee went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 18 innings of those games. The Twins’ three runs came on solo homers from Edouard Julien, Jose Miranda and Byron Buxton.
The right-hander, however, is 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA in his past five starts, having allowed six home runs and nine walks in 27 2/3 innings. On Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays, Bibee gave up three runs on two of those homers, plus six other hits, while striking out nine in six innings of Cleveland’s 3-1 loss.
“Six innings, three runs — we’ll take that 100 out of 100 times,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He battled through it … I think that just shows again how Tanner’s progressing and the type of pitcher that he is.”
Castro, who is batting .313 (10-for-32) during an eight-game hitting streak vs. Cleveland, is 3-for-9 in his career against Bibee.
Scheduled Minnesota starter Bailey Ober (12-7, 3.90 ERA) has recorded personal bests for wins and starts (28) this year.
In his most recent outing, on Friday at home against the Cincinnati Reds, Ober allowed a run through the first six innings. Then the right-hander ran into trouble in seventh, when he was charged with four more runs scored. He was pulled with two outs in the frame, and the Twins lost 8-4.
Ober allowed five runs and eight hits over four innings of Minnesota’s 11-4 loss at Cleveland on May 18. But he yielded just two hits, two walks and struck out nine over six scoreless innings of the Twins’ 4-2 home victory against the Guardians on Aug. 9.
In seven career starts vs. Cleveland, Ober is 2-2 with a 2.13 ERA.
Cleveland star Jose Ramirez, who is batting .300 (12-for-40) during a 10-game hitting streak, has a .313 average (5-for-16) with two doubles and a homer vs. Ober.
Guardians center fielder Lane Thomas is 0-for-3 against Ober, but he is hitting .317 (19-for-60) with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 16 games this month. He hit his second homer in four games on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LA Galaxy blitz Charlotte with 3 goals in first 13 minutes
Feb 28, 2026; Carson, California, USA; Charlotte FC forward Idan Toklomati (9) and Los Angeles Galaxy defender Jakob Glesnes (5) battle for the ball during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Joao Klauss continues to be exactly the offensive piece the Los Angeles Galaxy needed, scoring a pair of goals in the opening 13 minutes of a 3-0 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday at Carson, Calif.
Lucas Sanabria also scored an early goal for the Galaxy (1-0-1, 4 points), who have allowed just one goal over their first two MLS matches and two goals in four matches when including a pair of CONCACAF Champions Cup games.
Novak Micovic made one save for Los Angeles, which is integrating 2022 MLS Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes into the back line after he was acquired from the Philadelphia Union in the offseason.
Kristijan Kahlina made eight saves for Charlotte FC (0-1-1, 1 point), who have scored just one goal through two regular-season contests. Charlotte has played twice on the road to start the season and now will play five consecutive home matches..
After leading Charlotte FC with 11 goals last season, forward Idan Toklomati does not have a shot on target in two games this season.
Sanabria gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute when he scored on a rebound off the left post after a shot from distance by teammate Gabriel Pec.
In the 11th minute, Pec created more offense on a centering pass from the right side that Klauss slotted into the net for a 2-0 lead.
Klauss made it 3-0 in the 13th minute when he forced a Charlotte turnover and moved to the top of the penalty area where he scored past Kahlina.
After scoring 25 goals in three seasons with St. Louis City, Klauss now has three goals in two games for the Galaxy after he was acquired in a cash-for-player trade in January.
Los Angeles, which did not earn its first victory until their 17th game last season, had a minus-20 goal differential a year ago, second-worst in the Western Conference.
Klauss played 63 minutes after playing 90 on Wednesday against Sporting SM of Panama on Wednesday and 88 minutes in Los Angeles’ MLS opener last Sunday against New York City FC.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Saint Mary's tops No. 9 Gonzaga, earns share off WCC regular-season title
Feb 28, 2026; Moraga, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs Mario Saint-Supery (17) dribbles the ball against the St. Mary Gaels during the first half at University Credit Union Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Mikey Lewis established career highs of 31 points and seven 3-pointers and Saint Mary’s clinched a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title with a 70-59 victory over No. 9 Gonzaga on Saturday night at Moraga, Calif.
Joshua Dent added 14 points and made four 3-pointers for the Gaels (27-4, 16-2 WCC), who have won or shared the title in each of the past four seasons. Saint Mary’s shared the regular-season crown with Gonzaga in 2023 and won the league outright each of the past two seasons.
Mantas Juzenas had 12 points on four treys as the Gaels defeated the Bulldogs for the seventh time in the past 13 meetings. Saint Mary’s outscored the Zags 41-23 in the second half en route to its eighth consecutive victory.
Graham Ike scored 17 points before fouling out with 3:44 remaining for the Bulldogs (28-3, 16-2), who previously clinched a share of the crown and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WCC postseason tournament. Saint Mary’s will be the No. 2 seed.
Adam Miller scored 14 points and Tyon Grant-Foster added 13 points and three blocked shots for Gonzaga, which had a six-game winning streak halted.
This was the final regular-season meeting between two programs that first played in 1955. Gonzaga is moving into the rebuilt Pac-12 next season.
Saint Mary’s shot 34.8% from the field, but was a solid 16 of 33 from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs made 39.3% of their attempts and were 5 of 17 from behind the arc. Gonzaga shot just 29.6% in the second half.
The score was tied at 44 before Saint Mary’s ripped off 10 consecutive points.
Lewis drained a 3-pointer and Paulius Murauskas added a layup for a five-point lead. Lewis made two free throws before Murauskas buried a trey to give the Gaels a 54-44 lead with 8:51 remaining.
Two baskets by Ike pulled Gonzaga within 56-50 with 6:04 remaining.
Saint Mary’s responded with 11 straight points on Andrew McKeever’s tip-in, Dent’s 3-pointer and Lewis’ two treys to make it 67-50 with 4:09 remaining.
Lewis later drained his seventh trey to make it 70-56 with 1:29 remaining as Saint Mary’s closed it out.
The Gaels trailed by seven at halftime but scored the first eight points of the second half and 15 of 17. Dent made two treys to cap the 8-0 burst to give Saint Mary’s a 37-36 edge.
Lewis scored the next seven Gaels’ points to make it 44-38 with 14:25 remaining.
Grant-Foster’s authoritative dunk allowed Gonzaga to knot the score at 44 with 11:09 to play.
Ike scored 13 first-half points as Gonzaga led 36-29 at the break.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Peyton Stearns, Taylor Townsend in all-American Austin final
Taylor Townsend, of the United States, attempts to return to Danielle Collins, of the United States, during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, on Aug. 8, 2025. For the second consecutive year, an American will win the ATX Open, as Peyton Stearns and Taylor Townsend won their respective semifinal matches Saturday in Austin, Texas, and will face off Sunday for the title.
The fourth-seeded Stearns, who was an All-American and national singles champion and part of two NCAA team titles at the University of Texas in Austin, went the distance in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Australia’s Kimberly Birrell to reach her first singles final since 2024, when she won her lone title in Morocco.
Townsend, meanwhile, swept fellow American Ashlyn Krueger 7-6 (5), 6-3 to advance to the first singles final of her WTA career. Last year, Jessica Pegula took down McCartney Kessler 7-5, 6-2 in an all-American ATX Open final.
It took Stearns just over two hours, but she finally put away Birrell by winning the match’s last five games to secure a spot in her third career final. Stearns saved 5 of 10 break points while converting 7 of 10, including two of the last three of the match.
Townsend lost 12 of the first 15 points and trailed Kreuger 0-4 in the first set before turning the tables. Townsend won six of the next seven games, breaking Krueger when she was serving for the set. In the tiebreak, Townsend saved set point after letting a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak slip away.
Merida Open Akron
Spain’s Cristina Bucsa upset top-seeded Jasmine Piolini of Italy to set up a final against Poland’s Magdalena Frech, who took down China’s Zhang Shuai in the other semifinal at Merida, Mexico.
In her first career Top 10 win, Busca swept Piolini 7-5, 6-4 to reach her first WTA 500 final. Busca had been swept in all 10 of her previous matches against Top 10 opponents, but she defeated the World No. 7 player in 1 hour, 33 minutes. Busca hasn’t lost a set this week, taking leads of 5-2 in the first set and 4-0 in the second against Piolini en route to the upset.
In the other semifinal, Frech outlasted Zhang 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in a two-hour, 35-minute match, to reach her third WTA singles final and second at WTA 500 level in Mexico. Frech had four match points in the second set, but Zhang prevailed to force a decisive third set.
Zhang nearly doubled Frech’s total of winners, but the Polish player would not be denied. After the opponents twice traded breaks to open the third set, Frech won the last four games to secure the hard-fought victory.
–Field Level Media
LA Galaxy blitz Charlotte with 3 goals in first 13 minutes
Saint Mary's tops No. 9 Gonzaga, earns share off WCC regular-season title
