Sports
Blue Jays work to continue hot hitting against Twins
Apr 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) hits a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays hope to ride the momentum of a hitting spree into Saturday afternoon when they go for a series win over the visiting Minnesota Twins.
The Blue Jays outhit the Twins 14-7 Friday night in their 10-4 victory in the opener of a three-game series.
The Twins opened a 4-0 lead on a three-run homer by Ryan Jeffers, who had three hits, and a solo shot by Brooks Lee against Patrick Corbin in Corbin’s Blue Jays debut.
Corbin gave up four runs and six hits over four innings.
Toronto took the lead with a five-run fourth against Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson. The go-ahead runs came on the first career homer by catcher Brandon Valenzuela, a two-run shot.
“The guys in the locker room. … they’ve all been in my corner since I got to the team in spring training,” Valenzuela said. “They gave me the confidence that I needed for this moment.”
Teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three hits, including two doubles, with an RBI.
Woods Richardson pitched despite being ill before the game.
“He ate something bad today, so he was throwing up,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “I mean, after the third, he wasn’t in a great spot. We were hoping to get more out of him, and it just looked like he ran out of gas. I give him credit. He threw up before the game but said he could still go.”
Woods Richardson said: “I still have to make pitches, man, no matter how you’re feeling. “You’re going to feel (not good) some days. You’re going to feel good some days. You’re going to feel really (bad) when your body just hurts. Unfortunately, I just had some bad food. I still have to make pitches.”
Shelton said after the game that infielder Royce Lewis would be placed on the injured list with a left knee sprain. Reliever Cody Laweryson is to go on the IL with a right forearm strain.
Toronto is scheduled to start Eric Lauer (1-1, 4.91 ERA) on Saturday. The left-hander is 1-2 with an 8.80 ERA in four career games (three starts) against the Twins.
Illness played a part in his most recent start. He took the loss against the White Sox on Sunday when he allowed two runs in two-plus innings of Chicago’s 3-0 victory. He left after one batter in the third because he was dealing with the flu. He had been scheduled to start April 4 but was given the extra day because of the illness.
“It was probably the worst I’ve ever had it,” Lauer said after the game. “I’ve been able to drink my calories more than anything. The hard part is keeping them down.”
Minnesota is slated to start Joe Ryan (1-1, 4.40 ERA) in an attempt to split the first two games of the series. In four career starts against Toronto, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 4.70 ERA.
Ryan earned his first win of the season on Monday against the Detroit Tigers, 7-3. He allowed three runs (two earned), three hits and three walks while matching his season-best seven strikeouts in five innings.
Ryan survived a 39-pitch fourth inning. Shelton stayed with him through the fifth as his pitch count mounted.
“We needed the fifth out of him,” Shelton said. “I think he threw 40 pitches in the fourth and got away from his delivery a little bit. But that’s what a top-end starting pitcher does. He comes back and settles down.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Landen Roupp, Giants claim first matchup of season with Dodgers
Apr 21, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp (65) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images Landen Roupp outpitched Yoshinobu Yamamoto, San Francisco got RBI singles from Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee in a three-run first inning, and the Giants held off the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday night.
Roupp (4-1) allowed just one run on one hit in five innings, then watched five relievers combine for four innings of shutout ball, helping the Giants open a six-game homestand with a win after a 4-5 trip.
Roupp struck out seven and walked five in his first career win over the Dodgers.
Seeking his first-ever victory over the Giants, Yamamoto (2-2) went seven innings, allowing six hits and three runs, all of which scored in the first. He walked two and fanned seven.
Willy Adames got the cold night rolling for San Francisco with an infield single, after which Luis Arraez singled and Matt Chapman walked to load the bases.
Each of the next three batters delivered single runs, with Devers’ single chasing home Adames, Casey Schmitt’s sacrifice fly scoring Arraez, and Lee’s single plating Chapman.
Roupp allowed a two-out single by Hyeseong Kim in the second but no other hits until a wild spate in the fourth. He walked four of the first five batters he faced that inning, including Kim with the bases loaded to force home Teoscar Hernandez.
The right-hander got out of the one-out jam by inducing a double play grounder off the bat of Alex Call.
The Dodgers got the potential tying run on the bases with two outs in the seventh before Erik Miller struck out Kyle Tucker to retain the 3-1 lead.
Ryan Walker worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save.
Ryan Borucki, Matt Gage and Keaton Winn also contributed to the three-hitter in the first meeting of the season between the longtime California rivals.
Lee was the only player in the game with multiple hits, a pair of singles. The Giants out-hit the visitors 6-3, with the Dodgers’ Hernandez stroking the game’s only extra-base hit, a double.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Logan Cooley lifts Mammoth past Knights for Utah's 1st playoff win
Apr 21, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi (50) attempts to deflect a shot attempt by Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) during the first period of game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Logan Cooley scored the go-ahead goal on a rebound with six minutes remaining to give the Utah Mammoth the first playoff win in franchise history, 3-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Cooley buried a rebound of a Dylan Guenther shot just inside the left post, even the best-of-seven series at one victory apiece. The scene now shifts to Salt Lake City for the next two contests, with Game 3 on Friday.
Guenther had a goal and an assist, Kailer Yamamoto had two assists and MacKenzie Weegar also scored for Utah. Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves, including a close-in shot by Mark Stone from the left side of the net with five seconds left to seal the win.
Stone and Ivan Barbashev each a scored goal and Jack Eichel had two assists for Vegas, which lost for the first time in regulation in 10 games (8-1-1) under coach John Tortorella. Carter Hart finished with 26 saves.
The teams exchanged own goals during the first period, which ended with the score 1-1.
Vegas, which rallied for a 4-2 victory in Game 1, took a 1-0 lead at the 11:40 mark on a power-play goal. Stone’s cross-crease pass for Tomas Hertl near the right post caromed straight into the net off the skate of Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. It was Stone’s 43rd career playoff goal and his sixth in the past six games dating back to the regular season.
Utah tied it near the end of the period when Weegar’s shot from the right point deflected off the stick of Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin and then off the pads of Hart into the low slot toward Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who kicked the rebound into the net.
The Mammoth took a 2-1 lead in the second period on a one-timer from the top of the left circle by Guenther off a pass from Yamamoto.
The Golden Knights tied it 62 seconds later. Barbashev intercepted a clearing pass by Sergachev in the neutral zone and then skated in and split a pair of Utah defensemen before roofing a backhand shot into the top far corner for his second goal of the playoffs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Munetaka Murakami extends HR streak as White Sox pound D-backs
Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a home run in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Rookie Munetaka Murakami homered for the fourth straight game, Colson Montgomery went deep for the third straight and the Chicago White Sox slugged four homers in an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Murakami, Michael Vargas and Montgomery hit consecutive solo shots with two outs in the second inning to help stake Sean Burke (1-2) to a 7-0 lead.
Murakami, who has nine homers in 23 games, reached base four times, adding two infield singles and a walk. He singled and scored in a four-run first off Merrill Kelly (1-1).
Vargas homered for the second straight game, Montgomery and Sam Antonacci notched two hits and three RBIs apiece and Tristan Peters had three hits. The White Sox have won three of four and scored 33 runs over that span.
Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas had a three-run homer in the ninth to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 16 games, the longest in the majors. Dating back to the end of the 2025 season, Vargas has hit in 18 straight. Alek Thomas had two hits, including his first homer of the season for the Diamondbacks, who had won 10 of 14.
The White Sox have 11 homers in their last three games and 14 in their last five.
Antonacci had a two-run inside-the-park homer in the ninth when his ground ball inside the bag at third appeared to be touched by the ball boy along the left field line. Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did not immediately attempt to field it as Antonacci circled the bases for his first career homer.
Burke gave up two runs on five hits in six innings in his first road victory since a 4-0 decision at Detroit on Sept. 28, 2024. He struck out three and walked one.
Kelly gave up eight runs and 10 hits before leaving with one out in the fifth. He struck out five and walked three in his second start of the season after opening on the injured list.
The first four White Sox batters reached in the first. Andrew Benintendi singled, Murakami reached on an infield single, Vargas walked and Montgomery doubled in two. Everson Pereira hit a sacrifice fly and Antonacci tripled for a 4-0 lead.
Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery homered in the second for a 7-0 lead after 13 batters.
–Field Level Media
Landen Roupp, Giants claim first matchup of season with Dodgers
Logan Cooley lifts Mammoth past Knights for Utah's 1st playoff win
