Sports
No. 10 Kentucky looking to vent frustrations vs. Brown
Dec 14, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (0) celebrates during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Kentucky returns to the court 10 days after being thrashed by Ohio State in a beating coach Mark Pope termed “the worst ever.”
The No. 10 Wildcats (10-2) will look to take out their frustrations on an Ivy League opponent when they entertain Brown (7-4) on Tuesday in Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky was soundly outplayed by the Buckeyes during an 85-65 setback on Dec. 21 in which it shot 29.8 percent from the field and Ohio State made 56.6 percent of its shots in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“What a bad night. Just devastating,” Pope said of the loss. “It was just the worst, the worst ever. To do it in that venue wearing this jersey, it’s devastating.”
The Wildcats have had to sit on that memory during an extended break between games. Pope is looking forward to playing the nonconference finale and then getting his team ready for Saturday’s Southeastern Conference opener against Florida.
“There’s nothing you can do with it but help dig in and hope it make you better, right?” Pope said. “And in long conversations with our guys and our staff and digging into the numbers, the nuts and bolts, it’s also exciting to grow and get better and to move forward.”
Otega Oweh scored 21 points against Ohio State, helped by a 13-of-13 effort from the free-throw line. Andrew Carr had 13 points and Jaxson Robinson scored 10.
Lamont Butler had just four points on 1-of-7 shooting. In the previous game against Louisville, Butler scored a career-high 33 points on 10-of-10 shooting, including sinking a career-high six 3-pointers.
Oweh leads Kentucky with a 16.2 scoring average. Butler is second at 14.0 points per game. Robinson (12.3), Koby Brea (11.8) and Carr (11.1) also score in double digits.
Kentucky averages 89.1 points per game but scored fewer than 70 in both its defeats. The other was a 70-66 loss to Clemson on Dec. 3.
Brown rattled off six straight wins before getting whipped 87-53 at then-No. 8 Kansas in its most recent game on Dec. 22.
The Bears shot just 26.7 percent from the field and were 8 of 33 from 3-point range against the Jayhawks. Brown trailed by 11 at halftime before being outscored 45-22 in the second half.
“We struggled to score the basketball. We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we have been,” Brown coach Mike Martin said. “Kansas made us uncomfortable with their pressure and their switching. We had some moments especially in the first half where I thought we ran some good offense and got great shots that didn’t go in. If those shots go in it might’ve been closer at halftime.”
Brown star Kino Lilly Jr. scored 18 points but was just 7 of 21 from the field and 4 of 13 from 3-point range.
However, Lilly did move into third place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,626 career points. He is 43 points away from passing second-place Arnie Berman (1,668 from 1969-72).
Lilly holds the school’s record for career 3-pointers with 284. He has 44 this season while averaging a team-leading 20.0 points per game.
Second-leading scorer Landon Lewis (13.9) is shooting a torrid 63.2 percent from the field. Aaron Cooley contributes 12.5 points and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game.
Kentucky and Brown are meeting for the first time.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mariners' stadium reminds A's of their goal: AL West title
Apr 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) hits a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images The Athletics need only to look to the top of the third deck in right field at T-Mobile Park to realize the road to the American League West title goes through Seattle.
That’s where the Mariners’ 2025 division championship banner hangs.
“(The Mariners) were one game away from going to the World Series last year,” the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers said. “Last year, it kind of felt like a dogfight every time we played them. I don’t think it’s going to be any different this year. These early games in the season, you can look back later and realize how much they mean.”
Langeliers homered for a second consecutive night Tuesday, leading the A’s to a 5-2 victory as they remained a half-game ahead of the Texas Rangers atop the division race.
The Athletics will go for a sweep of their three-game series in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon.
Last season, the A’s went 6-7 against the Mariners, with 10 of those games decided by two runs or less.
This season’s series has started similarly, with the A’s winning 6-4 Monday. They scored an insurance run in the ninth Tuesday for the final three-run margin.
“If we want to beat anybody, we want to beat the Mariners,” A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler said. “So it felt really good beating them. … I wish (the stadium) was more packed out so more fans could go home sad.”
The Mariners’ Cal Raleigh also homered for a second straight night, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his team from losing for the sixth time in the past eight games.
Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez both went 2-for-3 and drew walks, showing signs of breaking out of their early season slumps.
“We had a lot of contact, but just not a lot to show for it,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “We’ve got to keep pushing, and keep getting that traffic on there and keep giving ourselves a chance. At some point, we’ll start to get those runs.”
Raleigh insisted it’s not for a lack of effort.
“Nobody’s ever gonna fault this team for not working hard and doing that stuff,” he said. “But just because you work hard, it doesn’t mean you get good results. So to me, it’s really about focusing in that two-minute stretch when you’re in the box. You want guys being competitive, being warriors in the box.
“It’s a fine balance, right? We all know that we want to be doing better than we are, but at the same time, it’s not going to help anybody in this room by trying to press and go out there and do more, try to be ‘the guy.’ It’s happened before to good clubs. It’s more under a microscope because it’s the beginning of the season. I have faith in this group.”
The series finale is set to feature a pair of right-handers in the Athletics’ Aaron Civale (2-1, 3.54 ERA) and Seattle’s Logan Gilbert (1-3, 4.03).
Civale is coming off a 9-2 loss to the visiting Chicago White Sox on Friday in West Sacramento, Calif., when he gave up five runs on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings. He’s 2-3 with a 3.96 ERA in six career starts against Seattle.
Gilbert lost 5-0 Friday to visiting Texas, allowing two runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings, with one walk and seven strikeouts. In 14 career starts against the A’s, Gilbert is 4-1 with a 2.82 ERA.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jose Soriano on a mission to jolt Jays, end Angels' losing streak
Mar 31, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Soriano (59) smiles after ending the the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Jose Soriano has been the most dominating starting pitcher in the majors so far this season, and the Los Angeles Angels need another strong performance.
The right-handed Soriano will carry a microscopic 0.28 ERA to the mound Wednesday afternoon when he attempts to pitch the Angels to a victory in the finale of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays in Anaheim, Calif.
The Angels dropped the first two contests of the series and have lost a season-worst four straight games. Los Angeles has scored just six runs during the slide.
That makes it good timing for Soriano’s turn to arrive. His 5-0 record ties for the major league lead in wins with Milwaukee Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby and his 0.73 WHIP is second behind Shota Imanaga (0.72) of the Chicago Cubs.
In addition to leading the majors in ERA, Soriano also is on top in opponents batting average (.104).
Soriano, 27, allowed three hits in one start and just two in the other four. He has given up 11 hits while posting 39 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.
The Angels last won on Friday when Soriano allowed two hits in 5 2/3 innings of an 8-0 victory over the visiting San Diego Padres. He struck out eight and walked four.
Soriano went 10-11 with a 4.26 ERA in 31 starts last season, sometimes displaying a dominant version of himself.
But he’s never approached the consistent status of this season’s five starts.
“I think mentally I’m stronger and physically too, I feel stronger,” Soriano said after the victory over San Diego. “I’m learning a lot from the past. I’m taking the good things and trying to use them right now. I think that’s part of the good results I’m having now.”
Soriano has a 5.40 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Toronto. Vladimir Guerrero is 2-for-2 with a walk against Soriano.
The Angels lost 5-2 on Monday and 4-2 on Tuesday to the Blue Jays.
Los Angeles had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday but Toronto’s Louie Varland induced Nolan Schanuel to hit into a game-ending double play for his first career save.
Varland was called on because closer Jeff Hoffman endured another shaky outing. After getting the first out, Hoffman gave up a single, hit two consecutive batters and allowed an RBI single to Yoan Moncada before getting pulled.
Hoffman has been under fire from Toronto fans since blowing the save in Game 7 of the World Series last season when non-power hitter Miguel Rojas of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a tying homer with one out in the ninth inning. The Dodgers won the game 5-4 in 11 innings to win the championship.
Hoffman has a 7.59 ERA and is 3-for-6 in save opportunities this season.
“I know there may be people who don’t want to hear this, but I’ve got a lot of trust and confidence in Jeff Hoffman,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after the game on Tuesday. “If there’s a situation to close out a game, I’ll take Jeff Hoffman.”
Tuesday’s contest was tied 1-1 in the eighth before Lenyn Sosa drilled a tiebreaking two-run double for the Blue Jays and scored on Eloy Jimenez’s single.
Toronto will send left-hander Eric Lauer (1-3, 7.13) to the mound for the finale.
Lauer, 30, has lost three straight starts and allowed 12 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings during the span.
He lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday when he gave up three runs and five runs over five innings in the 6-3 game.
Lauer has a 2.84 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Angels. Jorge Soler has a homer in four at-bats against him.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top Seeds in Eastern Conference in Trouble During NBA Playoffs Round 1
The New York Knicks looked like they would be cruising to a 2-0 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, then CJ McCollum struck. New York was outscored 28-15 in the 4th quarter, and all the momentum has flipped back in the Hawks’ favor as the series heads down south to Atlanta for game three.
Then over in Detroit, the Pistons feel like they’re in a must-win game two, as they’ll be looking to even their series up at one game apiece before the series heads down to Orlando.
Both Detroit and New York had lofty expectations heading into the playoffs, but the road has been a little bumpier than expected. For the Pistons, it was shocking to see another team set the tone for aggression in game one. Specifically with Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren. Those two combined for only 11 points and 11 rebounds and struggled to handle the physical play Orlando has consistently brought to the playoffs over the last few seasons.
Detroit wouldn’t be the first 60-win team to get bounced in the first round, but this would feel like a massive setback for the organization. JB Bickerstaff has a reputation for struggling in the postseason, and a first-round exit would bring into question whether he’s the right guy to lead the Pistons, even after two tremendous seasons turning things around in the Motor City.
The vibe for the Knicks is a bit different than what we’re seeing in Detroit, but their fans are still starting to feel some heat. New York has been in control for 95 minutes of this series, yet it’s still tied at 1 game each.
Of course, you’d think that New York would still be confident that they’re going to win this series; unfortunately, you can’t help but remember what Trae Young and previous iterations of the Hawks have done to the city. It’s hard not to let negative thoughts creep into your brain after what you’ve experienced in the past. If there was one lower seed the city of New York wanted to miss, it was Atlanta, and we’re already seeing why in what might be the best series in the first round of the playoffs.
Boston is the third favorite in the East to drop a game, but the vibe in that series still feels entirely different. Boston has notoriously dominated the Sixers in the postseason, so I doubt that even after losing one game, they’re feeling any pressure in their series.
The Knicks are still -198 to advance, and Detroit is -205, so they’re still solidly favorites to advance, but the pressure has begun to creep in. Who would’ve guessed that James Harden and the Cavs would look the most comfortable in an Eastern Conference first-round series?
Mariners' stadium reminds A's of their goal: AL West title
Jose Soriano on a mission to jolt Jays, end Angels' losing streak
