Sports
'Wrecking ball' Ben Rice, Yankees take on Orioles again
May 1, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) hits a three run home run during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images In the offseason, the New York Yankees never sought Pete Alonso in free agency because they were confident in Ben Rice’s bat and development.
Through the first month of the season, Rice is among the best hitters in baseball, and the Yankees hope to see more productive at-bats from their first baseman when they host Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon.
The Yankees are 11-2 in their past 13 games, and Rice’s production is in the middle of their surge. He hit a three-run homer in the second inning of Friday’s 7-2 win over Baltimore and has seven of his 11 homers this year in the past 14 games.
“I just think we’re continuing to see the evolution of one of the game’s really outstanding hitters, simple as that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said about Rice, 27. “He’s really disciplined, and he’s got a good plan night in and night out for who he’s facing and what he wants to look for, and he does a good job of controlling the zone.
“So, this is kind of that trajectory he’s been on since he first debuted (2024). He’s just gotten better and better to the point of now he’s kind of been a wrecking ball.”
Rice is hitting .330 this season, and his latest big night was part of the Orioles surrendering 11 hits and six walks on Friday. Jose Caballero also homered, while Aaron Judge had an RBI single, scored twice and reached base four times.
Rice has a .317 average with eight homers and 18 RBIs in 16 career games against the Orioles, who are 6-10 in their past 16 games.
Alonso homered in his first at-bat at Yankee Stadium since joining the Orioles on a five-year, $155 million contract following seven seasons with the New York Mets. He drew a pair of walks and scored both runs as the Orioles were held to a season-low three hits on Friday.
The Orioles also were limited to three runs or less for the 13th time. Baltimore is 2-11 in those games.
“Obviously we want to go out there and score as many runs as possible,” Baltimore’s Blaze Alexander said. “We want to do better, and we’re going to do better.”
After the Yankees’ Will Warren struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings Friday, left-hander Ryan Weathers (1-2, 3.21 ERA) will take the mound on Saturday for his first career appearance against Baltimore. He allowed two runs on 11 hits in 12 2/3 innings in his two most recent games as the Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros.
Those starts followed his April 14 outing when he allowed four homers to the Los Angeles Angels. Weathers last pitched a week ago, when he took a no-decision in an 8-3 win against the Astros, allowing two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Kyle Bradish (1-3, 4.20 ERA) is scheduled to start for Baltimore on Saturday. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in seven career starts against the Yankees. He has held them to a .241 batting average and has limited Judge to one hit in nine at-bats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Guardians hit three HRs, pile up 14 runs to beat Athletics
May 2, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) high fives shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) after hitting a solo home run against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Light-hitting backup catcher Austin Hedges smacked two doubles and his first homer of the year to pace the visiting Cleveland Guardians to a 14-6 victory over the Athletics on Saturday afternoon in West Sacramento, Calif.
David Fry and Kyle Manzardo also went deep for the Guardians, who bashed 14 hits to set up a chance for the three-game sweep on Sunday. Starter Slade Cecconi (1-4) allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Shea Langeliers had a banner day for the A’s, hitting his team-high ninth and 10th home runs of the season. Starter Jacob Lopez (2-2) gave up six runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings.
The Athletics took a 2-0 lead on the first of Langeliers’ long balls, a two-run shot off Cecconi in the first.
Hedges responded with a solo shot in the third before the Athletics answered with a run in the fourth on a Jeff McNeil RBI single.
Hedges started the Guardians’ four-run rally in the fifth with a double. He scored on Steven Kwan’s bloop single, Angel Martinez followed with another single and then Jose Ramirez’s double scored Kwan and Martinez to give Cleveland its first lead. Rhys Hoskins’ sacrifice fly pushed the score to 5-3.
After Langeliers and Fry traded solo shots, McNeil got his second RBI of the game with a sac fly in the sixth and the A’s threatened to tie or take the lead with runners on the corners. Hedges came up with the defensive play of the game to end the inning, a perfectly executed back-pick of Lawrence Butler at first base.
Cleveland poured it on in the later innings. In the seventh, Fry drew a bases-loaded walk and Travis Bazzana knocked in two with a single up the middle. It was the perfect time for Bazzana’s first major league hit after he was 0-for-12 at the plate to begin his career.
Manzardo added on with a pinch-hit three-run homer in the eighth. Colin Holderman gave up an RBI single to Nick Kurtz in the bottom of the inning, but he forced Langeliers to pop out to leave the bases loaded.
Cleveland plated two more in the ninth to complete the blowout win.
Kurtz went 2-for-5, but failed to walk to end his streak of 20 games with at least one free pass. That shares second on the all-time list with Barry Bonds (2002-03). The Detroit Tigers’ Roy Cullenbine set the record with 22 straight games in 1947.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jonathan Aranda, Rays coast to win over Giants
May 2, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca (21) steals second base during the third inning against San Francisco Giants at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Jonathan Aranda went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the Tampa Bay Rays clinched their first series win against a National League club, prevailing 5-1 over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays had lost a single three-game series against all five NL Central teams in March and April before claiming the first two games against the Giants, who lost their fifth straight.
Griffin Jax made his second start and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.
Jesse Scholtens (3-1) followed and allowed one run on four hits in three innings. He fanned three without a walk.
San Francisco’s Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 with a double and a run, accounting for nearly half of the team’s seven hits.
San Francisco right-hander Landen Roupp (5-2) surrendered four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
In the second inning, Heliot Ramos hit a drive that Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins went to the 404-foot mark at the wall to catch. However, Mullins rushed in and caught it at the beginning of the warning track.
An umpire-initiated review of the shot – estimated at 424 feet – resulted in the out call standing instead of it being deemed to have hit a wire or ring in the dome, which would have made it a home run.
Giants pitcher Adrian Houser and director of major league pitching Frank Anderson were then ejected by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.
Roupp, who had allowed just one run in 18 innings in three road starts, was sharp until the fourth when the Rays scored two batters after Junior Caminero’s groundout was challenged and overturned to an infield single. He eventually scored on Jake Fraley’s single.
Hunter Feduccia’s double, Taylor Walls’ walk and Chandler Simpson’s bunt single loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth, and Mullins plated one with a walk before Aranda chased Roupp with a two-run single to center for a 4-0 lead.
Rafael Devers broke up the shutout with a double in the sixth to plate Arraez, who also doubled.
Jonny DeLuca, who was 2-for-4 with a double, swiped third and scored on a throwing error by catcher Patrick Bailey in the eighth for the final margin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Final-hole eagle gives Nelly Korda 3-stroke lead at Riviera
Apr 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Nelly Korda hits a tee shot on the 10th hole during the final round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images World No. 1 Nelly Korda took sole possession of first place through three rounds of the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba with her second straight 5-under-par 67 on Saturday in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Korda, who moved back atop the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings with her victory last week at the Chevron Championship, has just one bogey through three rounds at El Camaleon Golf Course, taking a three-stroke lead into the final round at 14-under 202.
Korda had just one birdie through 12 holes of action Saturday before birdies at Nos. 13 and 15 before finishing the day with a bang by carding an eagle at the par-5 18th after hitting her approach shot within a few feet of the hole to cap off the low round of the day.
“Just really happy with my game. Played some solid golf today,” Korda said. “Made a good par save on nine, and that’s the only kind of time in the round that I really put myself into trouble. I’m just trying to play safe with the ones that I wasn’t wanting to be too aggressive with. Overall, really happy with my round.”
Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand is in second place at 11 under after shooting a bogey-free 6 under with three birdies on both the front and back nine. That included birdies on each of the final two holes to claim sole possession of second place. The 23-year-old has five career top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour but is seeking her first championship.
She’ll be in the final group Sunday, celebrating her 24th birthday while playing alongside one of her idols, Korda, for the first time.
“It’s like my dream come true,” Yubol said. “My life is complete right now.”
Japan’s Minami Katsu (69) is in third at 10 under following after a 2-over front nine with a 5-under back nine highlighted by an eagle at the par-4 17th.
Brianna Do, who was a co-leader after each of the first two rounds, is now tied for fourth at 9 under after an even-par finish to the third round. Joining her in that fourth-place group is China’s Yu Liu (69).
Carlota Ciganda (71) of Spain and Round 1 co-leader Melanie Green (73) are tied for sixth at 7 under.
Colombian amateur Maria Jose Marin (69) and Russia’s Nataliya Guseva (70) are tied for eighth at 5 under.
–Field Level Media
Guardians hit three HRs, pile up 14 runs to beat Athletics
Jonathan Aranda, Rays coast to win over Giants
