Sports
Reds hope to have Austin Hays back for DH vs. Cardinals
Apr 27, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Austin Hays (12) during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Austin Hays was not listed in the Cincinnati Reds’ starting lineup for the scheduled Tuesday game against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals before Mother Nature intervened, causing the postponement of that contest.
With a split doubleheader on tap between the National League Central rivals on Wednesday, Hays’ availability for either game was not immediately known.
Reds manager Terry Francona revealed Hays received an MRI for a “tender” hamstring on Tuesday, one day after the slugger sprinted from first base to home plate during the sixth inning of Cincinnati’s 3-1 victory.
Hays is batting a robust .365 to go along with five homers, 13 RBIs and 15 runs in 13 games this season.
Noelvi Marte went 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and two walks in the series opener, helping Cincinnati win a season-best fifth game in a row.
The third baseman is 16-for-34 (.471) with 16 RBIs in his past eight games.
Marte started the season at Triple-A Louisville with Francona indicating that he would have to earn his way back onto the major league roster.
After batting .353 through nine games for Louisville, Marte was called up, but he was sent back down after going 1-for-6 in three major league games.
A few days later, the Reds promoted Marte again, and he took over as the regular third baseman on April 18.
“He’s been a good worker, and he was the same worker when we sat him down in spring training, which is always a good sign,” Francona said. “And like hitting, he’s moving his feet better at third, which is good offensively. You could tell he feels good because he’s swinging hard. But he’s also not just abandoning that right-center approach, which I think really keeps him balanced and staying through the ball.”
The Cardinals are looking for any signs of hope on the road as they have started the season 2-12 away from St. Louis.
The Cardinals were victimized Monday by another aspect of Cincinnati’s hot streak — slick defense. Center fielder TJ Friedl robbed Nolan Gorman with a sliding catch in the fourth inning. In the fifth, catcher Jose Trevino threw out the lead runner at third for the first out and then McLain robbed Lars Nootbaar of an RBI single when he picked off a grounder and started an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
“You’re hoping for a crooked number there, especially with the way (Nootbaar) has been swinging it at the top of the lineup, if we get those guys over and get them in,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “But that didn’t happen.”
St. Louis will send Miles Mikolas (0-2, 5.70 ERA) to the mound in the opener against Cincinnati’s Brady Singer (4-0, 3.62) in a battle of right-handers. Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (2-0, 1.80) will start the nightcap. The Reds had yet to announce their Game 2 starter.
Last Wednesday, Mikolas had his best outing of the young season, throwing six shutout innings, allowing six hits but receiving a no-decision in a 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals have lost all five of Mikolas’ starts this year.
Mikolas, 36, is 5-8 with a 5.80 ERA in 21 career appearances (19 starts) against Cincinnati.
Singer, 28, has been the beneficiary of strong run support, as Cincinnati has posted 42 runs in his outings. Singer has started just once in his career against St. Louis, a loss on Sept. 22, 2020. He allowed three hits and three runs while walking five over three-plus innings.
Matz, 33, will make his second start of the season on Wednesday, having won the other one with five innings of one-run ball against the Houston Astros on April 16. He is 4-1 with a 4.40 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) vs. the Reds.
–Field Level Media
Sports
'We're right there': Ducks hungry to even series with Oilers
Apr 20, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers center Matt Savoie (22) with center Connor McDavid (97) attempt to stop Anaheim Ducks right winger Troy Terry (19) in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images After feeling like they let a win slip from their grasp in the series opener, the Anaheim Ducks will try to regroup for Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.
The Oilers took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series on Monday when they scored twice in the final nine minutes to rally back for a 4-3 win in Edmonton.
Edmonton had blown a 2-0 lead when it surrendered three goals in the second period.
“It’s unfortunate the result of that game, and it’s going to be tough to swallow, but we’ve got to put it behind us,” Ducks forward Troy Terry said. “We kind of got our feet under us, and we’re into this thing now.”
Terry had two goals and an assist in his first playoff game in his ninth year in the NHL. Leo Carlsson contributed a goal and an assist.
Terry, Carlsson and rookie Beckett Sennecke combined to take 21 of Anaheim’s 28 shots on goal in Game 1.
The Ducks could use better performances from their most veteran players, however.
Chris Kreider had a turnover in the neutral zone that led to the second goal by Edmonton; Radko Gudas fell while skating backwards defending a rush, leading to the third goal; and Jacob Trouba lost track of Kasperi Kapanen on the go-ahead goal with 1:54 left.
Alex Killorn also committed the only two penalties by Anaheim.
“I thought, as a group, we proved to ourselves, we’re right there,” Terry said. “These little mental mistakes can sway a series one way or the other.”
The Oilers benefited from secondary scoring in the Game 1 win.
Kapanen, who scored twice, is a second-line wing, and Jason Dickinson, who scored the other two goals, centered the third line.
“Just very important for this team,” Kapanen said of the secondary scoring. “And other guys stepping up and making big defensive plays that you don’t really see on the highlight reel, but that are just as important.”
The Oilers welcomed back forward Leon Draisaitl for Game 1 after he missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, and he contributed two assists in the win.
Draisaitl had 97 points in 65 games during the regular season.
“I felt OK,” Draisaitl said. “Certainly going to take a couple games to really be myself and really trust myself again, but for a start, I thought it was OK.”
Just as Draisaitl was returning, however, Edmonton forward Adam Henrique left in the first period with a lower-body injury after colliding shin-on-shin with a teammate.
“We will find out (Tuesday) how long he will be out,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We will miss him.”
The Oilers still have Connor McDavid, however, and he’ll be extra hungry after going without a point for just the 15th time in 83 games this season and the first time in a victory.
McDavid, who led the NHL with 138 points during the regular season, has only been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games once this season.
“Connor is going to get his chances and get his looks, and we’re not worried about that,” Kapanen said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LAFC, Rapids have quick turnaround to brush off losses
Apr 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Football Club forward Denis Bouanga (99) takes a shot at goal during the match against San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images After a week of highs and lows, Los Angeles FC are set for another midweek match when they play host to the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday.
LAFC (5-2-1, 16 points) advanced to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals last Tuesday but will enter off a 4-1 home loss to the upstart San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday. LAFC were steamrolled by a barrage of second-half goals in the defeat.
“I have been here many times praising us but (Sunday) was not good,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said. “We have to take the game as a lesson and move forward. If I only talk about tiredness (from Champions Cup), that’s an excuse. It was not good. We have to see why and try to improve on Wednesday.”
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris not only gave up his first goals of the season to end a 593-minute scoreless streak, Heung-Min Son remains without a goal through his first seven league games. Son does have two goals in Champions Cup play.
Denis Bouanga leads the club with four goals and has four assists in MLS play, while Son has seven assists.
The Rapids (4-4-0, 12 points) had their inconsistencies on full display in a 3-2 home loss to Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami on Saturday. Colorado forced the action but Messi scored twice, including the game-winner in the 79th minute.
“I saw a team that performed like a big team with a proper mentality with a huge personality,” Rapids head coach Matt Wells said, while looking at the positives after his team had 15 shots to five for Miami. “… That gives me massive hope that if we keep building and stick on this path, it won’t be long before you’re asking me a question about us being the top team around Vancouver and LAFC.”
Dynamic on offense this season, Colorado’s 21 goals are second most in league play, one behind the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.
Rafael Navarro leads the Rapids with six goals and four assists, including a goal on Saturday.
Colorado’s loss to Inter Miami came in front of a crowd of 75,824 at the home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, the second-largest to watch a match in MLS history. It came one week after a resounding 6-2 home victory over the Houston Dynamo when Navarro scored twice.
But while the offense has been solid, the Rapids have allowed 15 goals, with only three Western Conference teams allowing more.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals down Marlins behind Nathan Church's homer
Apr 21, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) throws against the Miami during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Nathan Church slugged a two-run homer and Alec Burleson also drove in a pair of runs as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Tuesday.
St. Louis, which has won six of its past seven games, also got 5 1/3 strong innings from Dustin May (3-2). He allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out five.
Riley O’Brien pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his seventh save.
However, Cardinals star Jordan Walker had his 15-game hitting streak broken. The stretch ended two games short of his career high, set as a rookie in 2023.
Miami was led by Jakob Marsee, who finished 3-for-4 and homered on his first swing with a new bat. On the previous pitch, the bat slipped out of Marsee’s hands and landed in the netting. That bat was given to a fan, and Marsee went deep for the first time this season the new lumber.
Marlins starter Chris Paddack (0-4) gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. He fanned seven. His ERA rose to 6.38 as Miami had its modest two-game win streak snapped.
Both teams scored in the first inning.
St. Louis got a run on rookie JJ Wetherholt’s leadoff double and Burleson’s RBI single.
Miami tied the score on Marsee’s 351-foot leadoff homer, pulled down the right field line. On the play, Marsee ran hard on his way to a potential triple before the umpires ruled that the ball had cleared the wall.
Wetherholt started another rally in the third when he drew a one-out walk, advanced to third on Ivan Herrera’s single and scored on Burleson’s grounder to first baseman Connor Norby, who threw wildly to the plate for an error.
The Cardinals made it 4-1 in the fourth. Masyn Winn singled, and Church swung at an inside cutter, pulling that pitch for a 370-foot homer to right.
St. Louis kept coming in the fifth, chasing Paddack with a Burleson double and Nolan Gorman’s two-out RBI single for a 5-1 score.
Miami cut its deficit to 5-3 in the eighth as reliever Ryne Stanek walked the bases loaded before allowing Heriberto Hernandez’s two-run single.
George Soriano replaced Stanek and struck out Norby looking on a pitch that caught the corner, low and inside, to end Miami’s best chance at a comeback.
–Field Level Media
'We're right there': Ducks hungry to even series with Oilers
LAFC, Rapids have quick turnaround to brush off losses
