Sports
Padres, Red Sox chasing first series win of season
Mar 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler (10) delivers during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images With both starting pitchers seeking bounce-back outings for their new teams, the Boston Red Sox and visiting San Diego Padres face off to close a three-game weekend series on Sunday afternoon.
The Padres scored a 3-2 victory on Saturday after Ramon Laureano’s two-out RBI single in the ninth inning. San Diego now turns to a familiar sight on the Boston mound in Walker Buehler (0-1, 6.75 ERA) for his second start.
Buehler, who began last season with the Red Sox before he was released in September, will face Boston left-hander Ranger Suarez (0-1, 8.31). Both teams are searching for their first series victory of the season.
“Laureano has been doing that the last few years, so you’ve got to tip your cap to them,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Gotta regroup and get ready for (Sunday) to win the series.”
Though the Padres entered Saturday hitting a National League-worst .192, Laureano continued a strong early-season run with the big hit. He now boasts a .308 batting average and has reached base safely in six of his first seven games.
“I think Laureano has had the best results and best at-bats we’ve gotten so far, so we’ll probably see him more at the top of the lineup going forward,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said.
A two-time World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed a free-agent contract in February, Buehler made his Padres debut Monday against the San Francisco Giants, allowing three runs on five hits across four innings.
“Our hope is that he kind of returns to who he’s been in the past,” Stammen said last week. “And that we have somebody that was a former All-Star pitcher, someone that was a thorn in our side as the Padres, and becomes a thorn in the side for other people.”
Buehler’s only career start against the Red Sox came in the 18-inning marathon Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. He started and went seven scoreless innings.
The Red Sox were in position to win the series on Saturday, holding a one-run lead with Aroldis Chapman taking the mound in the ninth looking for his second consecutive save. Andruw Monasterio’s pinch-hit RBI fielder’s choice had tied the game for the Red Sox in the eighth.
Instead, Boston fell to a major league-worst 2-6 for the first time since 2019 and has now lost all three of its one-run games this season.
Cora’s offense has also struggled, scoring two or fewer runs for the fourth time in eight games and going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
“We have to make sure when we are ahead in the count, get a pitch you can handle. If not, pass the baton,” Cora said.
The Red Sox had an 8-7 advantage in hits on Saturday, with Roman Anthony (triple) and Ceddanne Rafaela each recording a pair.
Suarez looks to deliver an improved start in his first Fenway Park outing for Boston. He allowed four runs, including a pair of home runs, in 4 1/3 innings Monday against the Houston Astros.
“I feel very good physically,” Suarez said. “I missed a couple (pitches), but I’ll just keep working for the next outing.”
Suarez, who is 3-1 with a 2.39 career ERA in eight appearances (five starts) against the Padres, is coming off back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins and recorded a career-high 151 strikeouts in 157 1/3 innings in 2025 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ryan Hartman (2 goals) stays hot as Wild down Senators
Mar 19, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes looks on behind the bench in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Ryan Hartman scored twice for the Minnesota Wild in a 4-1 win against the visiting Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn.
Jonas Brodin and Jake Middleton also scored, Mats Zuccarello had two assists and Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves for the Wild (43-21-12, 98 points), who have won two straight for the first time in a month. Minnesota clinched a playoff spot on Thursday.
Drake Batherson scored a late goal and Linus Ullmark made 19 saves for the Senators (39-27-10, 88 points), who entered the day in a four-way points tie for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Brodin was credited with the goal that gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 9:45 of the first period.
Brodin took a shot from above the left faceoff circle off a rush. Ullmark made a pad save, but the rebound went off the skate of Ottawa defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo and into his own net.
The Wild extended their lead to 2-0 at 15:35 of the first after forcing a turnover by Senators defenseman Jordan Spence at his own blue line. That sprung a 2-on-1 rush and Hartman scored off the feed from Zuccarello.
The Senators outshot the Wild 14-8 in the first period, but still trailed by two entering the second.
Zuccarello set up the third goal as well, passing the puck from out of the corner to Hartman in the middle. He dragged the puck across the slot before shooting it past Ullmark from the left hash marks to make it 3-0 at 15:31 of the second.
It was Hartman’s sixth goal in the past four games.
Middleton made it 4-0 with a wrist shot from the left circle at 12:46 of the third.
Batherson prevented Wallstedt from notching his fifth shutout of the season when he batted in a rebound after falling to the ice in front of the crease to cut it to 4-1 at 16:43.
Batherson went to the locker room in discomfort after scoring the goal.
Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson returned after missing the previous 13 games with an upper-body injury and had three giveaways in a team-high 24:55.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Blue Jays acquire INF Tyler Fitzgerald from Giants
Aug 16, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald (49) during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays acquired infielder Tyler Fitzgerald from the San Francisco Giants on Saturday for cash considerations.
Fitzgerald was designated for assignment on Monday after opening the season at Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants signed infielder Luis Arraez in the offseason, pushing Fitzgerald down on the infield depth chart.
The Blue Jays optioned Fitzgerald to Triple-A Buffalo.
Fitzgerald, 28, did not have a hit in 12 at-bats at Sacramento to start the season. In parts of three seasons with the Giants, he batted .252 with 21 home runs and 53 RBIs in 178 games. He was designated for assignment this week after the Giants acquired reliever Dylan Smith from the Detroit Tigers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oklahoma tops Baylor with late run, makes Vegas final
Mar 13, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser reacts to a called foul against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Imagesduring the first half Xzayvier Brown scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to show the way for Oklahoma in a 82-69 victory over Baylor in the College Basketball Crown semifinals Saturday in Las Vegas.
Tae Davis scored 11 of his 18 points in the final 12 minutes for the Sooners (21-15), who recovered after surrendering a 10-point lead early in the second half.
Oklahoma wrapped it up with a late nine-point run capped by a 3-pointer from Brown with 4:37 left which gave the Sooners a 72-61 lead. Brown added six rebounds and six assists.
Derrion Reid contributed 17 points and Nijel Pack added 15 points as Oklahoma advanced to Sunday’s title game. The Sooners will play the winner of Saturday’s other semifinal between Creighton and West Virginia.
The champion of the second annual event will win $300,000 of the tournament’s $500,000 NIL prize pool.
Tounde Yessoufou and Isaac Williams scored 15 points apiece as Baylor (17-17) fell to its former Big 12 rival. The teams were in the league together for 28 years before Oklahoma bolted for the Southeastern Conference in 2024.
Cameron Carr put up 14 points and 12 rebounds and Dan Skillings Jr. added 12 points for the Bears.
Baylor committed 12 turnovers to eight for opportunistic Oklahoma, which outscored the Bears 21-2 off those mistakes.
Oklahoma used an early 11-2 run to take a lead that it held the rest of the first half. Reid made three baskets in the run and Kuol Atak added a 3-pointer as the Sooners surged to a 16-8 lead.
Baylor answered with the next seven points and kept it close, pulling to within one point on six occasions, before Oklahoma closed the period with a 14-5 spree.
Pack triggered the run with a jumper and a 3-pointer. Brown finished it off with the Sooners’ final nine points to stake Oklahoma to its largest lead to that point at 45-35.
At the start of the second half, Williams scored seven quick points and Carr added two 3-pointers as the Bears forged a 48-all tie 4 1/2 minutes into the half.
Yessoufou gave Baylor its first lead since the opening minutes when he went end to end for a fastbreak layup that made it 52-51 with 13:16 left.
–Field Level Media
Ryan Hartman (2 goals) stays hot as Wild down Senators
Blue Jays acquire INF Tyler Fitzgerald from Giants
