Sports
Padres pumped rivalry with Dodgers returns to postseason stage
Jun 15, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images More than six months since the San Diego Padres opened the season with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in South Korea, the National League West rivals are taking their rivalry back to the postseason.
The Padres dispatched the Atlanta Braves 2-0 to advance from the NL wild-card round to the NL Division Series, which starts Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
“Clearly going to respect them. They’ve got a really nice club,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of the Dodgers. “We fought tooth and nail to get to the end of the season, for the division. But now we’re in the part of the season where winner moves on and we wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s going to be a wonderful series. We’re super excited about it. Can’t wait.”
The third postseason series ever between the teams is a follow-up to San Diego’s 3-1 NLDS win in 2022. The Dodgers swept the Padres in the NLDS in Arlington, Texas, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Dodgers won the division by five games in 2024 and took two of three from San Diego Sept. 24-26, but the Padres were 8-5 against the Dodgers in the regular season.
“Wished we played tomorrow. But we’ll be ready to show up and get after it Saturday,” Shildt said. “It’s going to be two wonderful venues and high-stakes baseball, and that’s what we play for.”
Shildt said he wasn’t in position to discuss pitching plans or the health of right-hander Joe Musgrove. Musgrove (6-5, 3.88 ERA) left Wednesday’s game at Petco Park in the fourth inning with tightness in his elbow. He went 6 1/3 innings and allowed two runs in a no-decision at Los Angeles in a 7-2 loss by the Padres.
“We’ve got pitching depth. We’ve got (Dylan) Cease ready to go and (Yu) Darvish right there,” Shildt said. “And Martin (Perez has) done nothing but good stuff for us. By the time he rolls back around (Michael) King will be ready again.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
SoFi workers reach agreement to avoid strike ahead of World Cup
May 25, 2026; Inglewood, CA, USA; A general overall view of Sofi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium), a host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images A potential strike by SoFi Stadium workers, ahead of the United States’ World Cup opening match at the venue Friday, was averted when an estimated 2,000 employees reached a tentative agreement Tuesday through their union.
The union representing hospitality workers at the stadium in Inglewood, Calif., had voted to authorize a strike last Friday, a week before the United States men’s national team was set to play against Paraguay.
Mostly composed of concessions workers as well as cashiers, dishwashers, bartenders and food attendants, the union had voted 96% in favor of the strike, which had been looming for the last few months since the existing deal with stadium operators Legends Global expired.
The new agreement earned workers a 40% pay increase for concession stands attendants and also has a clause allowing workers to walk off the job if the union believes that the presence of federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), creates a “reasonable apprehension of harm to the safety and security of workers,” The Athletic reported.
The agreement, which the union announced at a news conference, still has to be ratified by workers on Wednesday.
Kurt Peterson, co-president of the union, said the agreement will make the venue’s concessions workers the highest paid at NFL stadiums, according to a report in The Athletic, with most earning “more than $40 per hour, and many of them significantly more than that.”
Workers also will be able to earn “premium pay for mega-events, including all eight World Cup games,” Peterson told The Athletic.
SoFi Stadium is scheduled to host two of the United States’ three group-stage matches, against Paraguay (Friday) and Turkey (June 25), as well as three tournament knockout-stage matches, one of which is a quarterfinal on July 10.
The venue is the home of both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers of the NFL. It also is slated to be a co-host for the Opening Ceremonies during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as well as the home for the swimming competitions.
The new agreement lasts until April 30, 2028, giving the union leverage for renegotiations before the Olympics begin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers activate RHP Cole Winn from 15-day injured list
Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Winn (60) throws against Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, May 1, 2026. The Texas Rangers activated right-handed reliever Cole Winn from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday after he was sidelined since May 23 by arm fatigue.
Winn, 26, takes the spot on the 26-man roster vacated by right-hander Luis Curvelo, who was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
Winn allowed two runs on two hits in a third of an inning of his most recent outing that came during a 5-2 loss to the host Los Angeles Angels. He exited the game after three batters with fatigue and soreness in his right shoulder.
In 22 appearances this season, he is 2-1 with one save, a 5.59 ERA, seven walks and 23 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings.
In 68 career relief appearances, Winn is 2-3 with one save, a 3.91 ERA, 28 walks and 72 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings.
Texas made Winn the 15th overall selection in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Curvelo, 25, had a scoreless inning Sunday in the Rangers’ 10-0 victory over the visiting Guardians. He has a 4.91 ERA, two walks and four strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings over seven relief appearances.
He was on the 15-day injured list with a right biceps strain from April 15 to May 19.
In 24 career relief appearances since 2025, Curvelo is 1-1 with a 5.47 ERA over 26 1/3 innings
–Field Level Media
Sports
Frances Tiafoe outlasts Daniel Altmaier in first round at Stuttgart
Jun 1, 2026; Paris, France; Frances Tiafoe of the United States returns a shot during his match against Matteo Arnaldi of Italy on day nine at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Sixth-seeded Frances Tiafoe saved 7 of 9 break points and outlasted Germany’s Daniel Altmaier 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 to post a first-round victory at the BOSS Open Tuesday in Stuttgart, Germany.
Tiafoe had 24 winners and 30 unforced errors while prevailing on the grass surface after the end of the clay-court season. Altmaier had 15 aces among his 40 winners but committed 42 unforced errors.
Tiafoe next faces Australia’s Rinky Hijikata, who rallied for a 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over German wild card Tom Gentzsch. Australia’s Nick Kyrgios beat the only other seeded player in action, prevailing 6-3, 6-4 over No. 8 Corentin Moutet of France.
The other winners Tuesday were Marcos Giron, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff and Yannick Hanfmann, Australia’s James Duckworth, France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro.
Libema Open
Adrian Mannarino of France hit 25 winners while posting a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory over defending champion Gabriel Diallo of Canada in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Mannarino ended a nine-match drought in singles play dating back to the Miami Open in mid-March. Diallo had 52 unforced errors against just 20 winners. Mannarino committed 44 miscues.
Martin Damm advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Jaume Munar. Also, China’s Zhang Zhizhen registered a 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-1 victory over Jenson Brooksby.
–Field Level Media
