Sports
Brooks Koepka grateful for 'warm reception' from PGA Tour fans
Jun 14, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooks Koepka plays his shot from the first tee during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images SAN DIEGO — There was plenty of “Brooksie” shouted from the gallery and even more “Welcome back” on Thursday as the highly anticipated return of Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour had mostly chill vibes along the California coast.
From his drive off the first tee at Torrey Pines’ acclaimed South Course, to a final birdie putt at No. 18, Koepka was well received in his first round on the PGA Tour after 3 1/2 seasons with LIV Golf.
If there was disappointment that Koepka took his headliner status to the Saudi Arabia-backed golf tour in June of 2022, it was mostly represented by appreciation that at least one piece of the PGA puzzle was back in place again.
Koepka obliged those with open arms by offering plenty of thank yous. He would have rather shown his appreciation with a better round, shooting 1-over-par 73 to open his weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Forgive and forget wasn’t a sure thing this week. Koepka admitted that one of his concerns shortly after fashioning a path back to the PGA Tour was the reception from fans.
“I don’t like thinking ahead at all or trying to anticipate what was going to happen, but I wasn’t sure, which is kind of weird to be uneasy,” Koepka said after his round. “You don’t really know, but from the first tee on, it was great. It actually made me settle down a little bit and made me feel good.”
Patrick Reed also announced his return from LIV to the PGA Tour for later this season. His reception remains to be seen.
Day 1 for Koepka was reassuring, but it does not mean there won’t be other days, other cities, some potential late-afternoon objectors with a beer in hand, determined to get something off their chest.
“I’ve definitely been heckled,” Koepka said. “I enjoy it. It’s sports, right? Sometimes it makes you lock in and play a little better which is always fun. I’m not saying I want it all the time, so nobody think that.
“But yeah, I cared about my perception, what people thought, what the fans thought. It’s easy when you’re around the players and they come and talk to you or you talk to them, or caddies, the people around here. But everybody else, I wasn’t sure.”
After all, Koepka once scoffed when LIV emerged, suggesting fellow competitors would sell out and join. He ended up being one of those to depart on a reported deal for at least $100 million, with another $45 million in prize money and bonuses.
With another year remaining on that contract, Koepka began to investigate a path back to the PGA Tour. He said this week that playing near family again was the major motivator without being specific. His wife, Jena Sims, revealed on social media in October she had a miscarriage.
His family is with him in the San Diego area this week, including 2-year-old son Crew.
As a member of the third group off the South Course’s first tee Thursday, Koepka sent his drive to the right side of the fairway, put his approach shot to 10 feet and completed a two-putt par. It was better than his playing partners — Max Homa and Swede Ludvig Aberg — each of whom had a bogey.
Birdies were hard to come by in the group. Koepka opened with three pars then had a three-putt bogey at the challenging fourth hole. He strung together eight consecutive pars before a disappointing bogey at the par-5 13th to reach 2 over.
Koepka’s only birdie of the day came at No. 18 to pull back to 1 over. Homa was 3 over and Aberg limped home at 6 over. All of them were left to strain their necks looking up at England’s Justin Rose in the lead at 10 under.
Koepka will need to make a push on Friday just to make the cut. It will help that he is playing the less daunting North Course where Rose bloomed.
A full four rounds this week would help Koepka gather momentum for next week’s visit to a course that has played a major role in his career.
The WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale is where Koepka has won twice, including the first trophy of his career in 2015. He also won in the desert in 2021.
By the time he gets to Arizona, this week’s drama will be that much further behind him. Friday’s chase to make the cut will be normal compared to a week that Koepka said is “very difficult to explain.”
“It was good to get that (round) out of the way just because, like I said, I just care,” Koepka said. “I care about what everybody’s thinking out here, what everybody’s doing, and just trying to be as good of a person and good of a player as I can be.
“Just wanted a warm reception, just like everybody else. You walk into a room, nobody wants to feel exiled, they just want to be loved. I mean, that’s human nature, I think.”
–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media
Sports
Reds RHP Brady Singer 'good' to go against Twins
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brady Singer (51) delivers a pitch in the third inning between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball in Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The Cincinnati Reds will look for their second series sweep of the season when they play the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Cincinnati’s scheduled starting pitcher, Brady Singer (1-1, 5.60 ERA), earned his first win of the season on Tuesday. The right-hander scattered six hits, gave up one run and struck out one in a 2-1 home victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Though Singer was struck with a comebacker to his right foot in the sixth inning, he finished the frame. X-rays came back negative.
“I’m glad the X-rays came back good,” Singer said. “It caught me square in the foot. But I’m good for the next (start).”
Both of the Reds’ wins over the Twins in this three-game series have been by one run — 2-1 in the opener on Friday and 5-4 after a comeback on Saturday.
Cincinnati swept three games at the Texas Rangers from April 3-5.
Singer said after his last start that the Reds’ bullpen was a difference maker. Cincinnati relievers have not allowed a run in a combined eight innings while posting 11 strikeouts against the Twins.
“They are incredible,” Singer said. “They’ve been huge for us all year long and are going to carry us the rest of the way, too. It’s great to see what they are doing.”
Singer has struggled over 13 career starts against the Twins. He’s 3-7 with a 5.63 ERA and 73 strikeouts.
Bailey Ober (2-0, 5.49 ERA) is set to take the mound for the Twins on Sunday. The right-hander picked up the win in his last start on Monday, when he allowed seven hits, four runs and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings in a 13-6 decision over the visiting Boston Red Sox.
In four career starts against the Reds, Ober is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA, 16 strikeouts and seven walks over 21 2/3 innings.
The Twins are 3-0 when Ober pitches at home this season.
After the Minnesota offense sputtered on Friday, the Twins shook up their lineup. Josh Bell moved into the No. 3 hole and Luke Keaschall slid down to the five spot. The move paid immediate dividends as Minnesota took a 2-0 first-inning lead.
Bell and Keaschall each collected two hits in the game, and Austin Martin scored two runs and secured a catch as he ran into the right-field wall. Martin is the right-handed-hitting complement in a right-field platoon with left-handed-hitting Trevor Larnach, who started in left on Saturday.
Martin has a .295 batting average, one home run and four RBIs this season while mostly hitting second when he is in the Twins’ lineup.
“He’s having really consistent at-bats,” manager Derek Shelton said. “It’s the rare opportunity for a guy in a platoon that we are seeing this many left-handers.
“Since spring training, he’s had a high quantity of at-bats and has been very impressive,” Shelton continued. “There’s no urgency in his at-bats, and I mean that in a really good way. He’s taking what’s coming to him, whether it’s taking a walk or being aggressive early in counts.”
Shelton said the team hopes to get Royce Lewis back from the 10-day injured list soon. The Twins’ third baseman has been sidelined by a left knee strain and started his rehab assignment on Saturday with Triple-A St. Paul.
“We thought all along that this (injury) was right at the minimum amount of time or close to it,” Shelton said. “His progression has gone extremely well. He’s done all on-field activities, hit on the field and took ground balls with the group. Now it’s on to the next step.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Skidding Mets make pitching change ahead of series finale vs. Cubs
Apr 15, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Tobias Myers throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images A year ago, New York Mets left-hander David Peterson was in the midst of a first-half breakout that helped him earn a spot on the National League All-Star team.
Now, Peterson has been scratched from his latest start as skidding New York looks for a spark.
The Mets will aim to end their longest losing streak in more than 20 years on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Chicago Cubs in the finale of a three-game series.
The Mets announced late Saturday that right-hander Tobias Myers (0-1, 3.46 ERA) will start in place of Peterson, who reportedly is not injured. Right-hander Javier Assad (1-1, 8.10 ERA) will start for Chicago.
The Cubs handed the Mets their 10th straight loss Saturday afternoon, 4-2, after pinch-hitter Carson Kelly belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning.
The skid is the longest for the Mets since they dropped 11 in a row from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, 2004. New York has been outscored 60-18 during the current streak and hasn’t led at the end of an inning since the first frame of an 11-6 loss to the Athletics on April 11 — a span of 62 innings.
The Mets, who have six new starters in their everyday lineup after parting ways with Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo over the winter, are 7-14 overall. It’s the worst 21-game start for the franchise since the 1983 team opened 6-15 on its way to finishing 68-94.
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us; you’ve got to keep going,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We haven’t been playing good baseball. That’s the bottom line.”
Peterson has been struggling since his first All-Star Game appearance. The southpaw is 0-3 with a 6.41 ERA in four starts this year and 3-5 with a 6.35 ERA in his last 16 starts dating to July 20.
Myers, who hasn’t started since Aug. 9, has pitched at least 1 1/3 innings in each of his six games this year. He has thrown at least 30 pitches four times — including in his most recent appearance Wednesday, when he allowed one run over two innings in the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kelly’s second career pinch-hit homer continued an impressive week for the Cubs, who have won four straight games.
Chicago’s streak of consecutive games with least 10 runs scored was snapped at three Saturday, but the Cubs have scored 51 runs in the last six games after scoring 59 in the first 14 games of the season.
The Cubs also have pitched well during their winning streak despite the loss of closer Daniel Palencia, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday due to a strained left oblique.
Jameson Taillon gave up one run over six innings Saturday in the third straight quality start for the Cubs, whose relievers have a 3.17 ERA during the winning streak. The surge began Tuesday, when Colin Rea allowed three runs over six innings against Philadelphia as a bulk reliever.
Caleb Thielbar earned the first save of the streak Saturday when he struck out two in a perfect ninth. It was just the sixth career save for the 39-year-old Thielbar, who has made 422 big league appearances dating to 2013.
“This group, we’re always prepared,” Kelly said. “We’re always looking for that opportunity. Just as a group, we’re pulling for each other at all moments.”
Assad took the loss in his most recent start last Monday, when he gave up nine runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Cubs fell to the Phillies 13-7.
Myers is 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in five career games (three starts) against the Cubs. Assad is 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA in four games (three starts) vs. the Mets.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers' Roki Sasaki hopes his turnaround starts vs. Rockies
Mar 30, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) walks back to the dugout as he is taken out from the game by manager Dave Roberts (left) during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Roki Sasaki’s spectacular performance as a reliever during the 2025 postseason is not translating to success as a starter this season.
Sasaki (0-2, 6.23 ERA), in his second MLB season after much success in Japan, will start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon against the Colorado Rockies in the third game of a four-game series in Denver. The teams have split the first two contests.
This will be the first time Sasaki has faced the Rockies.
After earning three saves with an 0.84 ERA in nine games during the Dodgers’ run to their second consecutive World Series championship last year, the right-hander has made it through five innings in only one of his three starts in 2026 and has struggled with his control (10 walks in 13 innings).
The 24-year-old took a 5-2 loss in his most recent start last Sunday against the Texas Rangers. He threw 94 pitches in only four innings and gave up two runs on five hits and five walks, adding six strikeouts.
“So that’s something that I talked to him about, and challenging him to, when you take the baseball, we’re trying to go five innings or more,” manager Dave Roberts said after that game. “So I think that’s kind of the next progression for him, to be consistently able to do that.
“But I do feel the growth part of it is to hang in there, make pitches when he needs. That’s important. He spread the walks out, I guess, as well as you could, to kind of limit damage. That was something I was proud of in that sense.”
And Roberts can continue to be proud of Shohei Ohtani, who extended his on-base streak to 50 games. That ties “Wee” Willie Keeler for the third-longest such streak in Dodgers’ history since 1900. Next on the list is Shawn Green, whose 53-game streak came in 2000.
Ohtani had a single in the ninth inning but had reached base on Colorado errors twice before that.
Right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 8.10 ERA) will be Colorado’s starter on Sunday.
He will look to continue the momentum the Rockies gained Saturday night with their 4-3, come-from-behind win. Troy Johnston’s two-run double in the sixth inning turned a 3-2 deficit into the winning margin. Relievers Brennan Bernardino (who got the win), Jaden Hill and Victor Vodnik protected the lead.
Vodnik earned his third save of the season.
“They have some of the best stuff in the league,” Saturday’s starter, Ryan Feltner, said about the team’s bullpen. “I think their biggest thing is coming out and attacking.”
Lorenzen will look to turn around his fortunes this season.
He has given up 32 hits, tied for the most in the National League, in 16 2/3 innings over five games, four of them starts. Lorenzen’s latest outing was Tuesday, in which he took the loss at Houston, 7-6, by giving up seven runs (two earned) and six hits in 2 2/3 innings.
In nine career games against the Dodgers, Lorenzen is 1-0 with a 4.08 ERA over 17 2/3 innings. His sole win came as a member of the Texas Rangers on July 13, 2024, allowed an earned run in seven innings in the 3-1 Rangers’ victory.
— Field Level Media
Reds RHP Brady Singer 'good' to go against Twins
Skidding Mets make pitching change ahead of series finale vs. Cubs
