Sports
Astros, Red Sox eye series win after tough first month
May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) celebrates a home run against the Boston Red Sox with shortstop Carlos Correa (1) during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images The Houston Astros are not used to looking up in the American League West standings.
While their first two games of a three-game road set against the Boston Red Sox have been a microcosm of an up-and-down season, a series win will be on the line when the teams return to the field on Sunday afternoon.
After being held in check in a 3-1 series-opening loss, the Astros looked like themselves on Saturday. Home runs by Brice Matthews and Christian Walker among the team’s 12 hits supported starter Spencer Arrighetti in a 6-3 win.
“That was a great baseball game,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Saturday’s bounce-back victory. “Spencer really grinded through five innings. … We played really good defense. We turned some big double plays. I thought it was a really good team win.”
Saturday ended with some uncertainty for the Astros, though, as Walker was hit in the head by a Tyler Samaniego fastball and exited in the ninth inning.
“That’s always not a great situation, but I feel OK,” Walker said after a 3-for-4 day with two RBIs. “I think the helmet took most of it and turning away from (the pitch) hopefully made it more of a glancing blow than straight impact.”
With Houston trying to overcome injuries to Cristian Javier and Tatsuya Imai, Espada had not determined a Sunday starter before the series, and had his internal plan altered because of the flow of Saturday’s win.
Kai-Wei Teng was slated to start Sunday before throwing 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief Saturday. Instead, Cody Bolton (0-1, 5.79 ERA) will get the ball for his fifth appearance and third start of the season in the finale.
“He’s a weapon,” Espada said of Teng. “Going into the game, we wanted to use him (Sunday) as the starter, but he’s also that bridge to our late-inning guys.”
Bolton allowed two runs in both of his starts, though one was as a one-inning opener. The right-hander last pitched the closing inning of Thursday’s doubleheader nightcap against the Baltimore Orioles.
Additionally, right-hander Ryan Weiss was set to rejoin the Astros in time for Sunday’s game after a stint on the paternity list.
Saturday continued Boston’s mixed bag of results under interim manager Chad Tracy, marking its third loss in four games since a three-game win streak.
Houston scored a first-inning run off Connelly Early and eventually built a 6-0 lead. In the end, the Red Sox dropped to 2-19 when their starting pitcher tosses fewer than six innings and 2-14 when their opponent scores first, failing to capitalize three times with the bases loaded.
“I think if you’re looking at positives, we created a ton of traffic, which is what we’ve talked about here,” Tracy said. “We want to give ourselves chances, right? We gave ourselves a lot of chances. When you get some of those, if you can pop a double or execute, it changes things.”
Wilyer Abreu (2-for-3, RBI) was a bright spot, reaching base four times.
Boston left-hander Ranger Suarez (2-2, 3.09) looks to break a winless career mark against Houston and build upon his second eight-inning outing of the season in three starts.
Suarez dominated the Blue Jays during his Monday start in Toronto, using his entire arsenal to strike out 10 while allowing just one hit and one walk across eight shutout frames.
“When I’m able to command my four-seam and my sinker, I think that opens the door for my secondary pitches to get swings and misses,” he said.
Suarez is 0-3 with a 6.60 ERA in three career starts against the Astros.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Andrew Putnam wins 9-hole playoff for final U.S. Open spot from Oregon
May 3, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Andrew Putnam watches his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the Cadillac Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Romance-Imagn Images PGA Tour veteran Andrew Putnam took the concept of “Golf’s Longest Day” to a new extreme.
After playing 36 holes at Emerald Valley Golf Club for U.S. Open final qualifying Monday in Creswell, Ore., Putnam and Spencer Tibbits were tied for second on the leaderboard. The problem was that only two spots were available from Oregon, requiring a 2-for-1 playoff.
Putnam and Tibbits played six more holes late Monday and couldn’t break their deadlock. They returned to the course Tuesday morning, and Putnam finally claimed victory on the ninth hole.
Putnam, a 37-year-old from Tacoma, Wash., will play his second major championship this year after appearing in none of the majors in 2025. He tied for 55th last month at the PGA Championship. Putnam last appeared in the U.S. Open in 2023, when he tied for 43rd.
His only victory on tour came in 2018 at the Barracuda Championship.
Greyson Leach shot 4-under-par 140 over 36 holes for medalist honors at Emerald Valley. Putnam and Tibbits tied at 3-under 141, with Tibbits squandering an advantage by following an opening 66 with a second-round 75.
Emerald Valley was one of 10 final qualifying sites across the U.S. and Canada on Monday. They were also contested in Toronto (near this week’s RBC Canadian Open), at two locations in Ohio, one in California and several courses around the East Coast.
The U.S. Open will be contested June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
Here is the final list of players to qualify Monday (three other qualifiers were previously held):
–Ball Ground, Ga.: Chris Kirk, Jake Peacock, Keith Mitchell, Robbie Higgins, Chase Kyes (a)
–Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.: Giuseppe Puebla (a), Ben Silverman, Ryder Cowan (a), Miles Russell (a)
–Purchase, N.Y.: Kevin Roy, Max Greyserman, Benjamin James (a), James Nicholas
–Gastonia, N.C.: Jackson Ormond (a), Carl Yuan, Jackson Van Paris, Brandon Wu, Cole Hammer
–Rockville, Md.: Jackson Suber, Ben Kohles, Logan Reilly (a), Jake Sollon
–Springfield, Ohio: Neal Shipley, Zac Blair, Dylan Wu, Billy Horschel, Nick Hardy
–Westerville, Ohio: Davis Thompson, J.B. Holmes, Vaughn Harber (a), Arni Sveinsson (a)
–Toronto: Emiliano Grillo, Alejandro Tosti, Marcelo Rozo, William Mouw, John Parry, Max McGreevy
–Sacramento, Calif.: Taylor Montgomery, Eric Lee (a), Matthew Robles (a), Marek Fleming (a)
–Creswell, Ore.: Greyson Leach, Andrew Putnam
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Brewers signing OF prospect Luis Lara to 7-year, $31M deal
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Luis Lara adjusts his cap during spring training workouts Monday, February 16, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. The Milwaukee Brewers are in agreement with outfield prospect Luis Lara on a seven-year, $31 million extension, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
The contract with the 21-year-old Venezuelan begins this season and includes three club options, potentially taking the deal through 2035.
The extension could max out at $78 million if Lara reaches all the incentives, a source told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Lara is ranked No. 5 among Milwaukee’s prospects and No. 91 among all major league clubs by MLB Pipeline.
He is batting .338/.447/.500 with seven homers, 27 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 56 games this season at Double-A Nashville.
The Brewers have signed similar long-term deals with up-and-coming prospects before, including outfielder Jackson Chourio in December 2023 and current minor league shortstop Cooper Pratt in April.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Defender Chris Richards returns to USMNT practice
June 8, 2026; Irvine, California, U.S.; Chris Richards of the U.S. signs an autograph for a fan during training. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Defender Chris Richards is back on the field with the United States Men’s National Team on Monday and appears to be on track for the World Cup opener against Paraguay this week.
“We will see … first time with the team,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said Monday. “Nearly everyone ready to be selected for the game.”
Richards sustained an ankle injury last month and is viewed as a vital defender in the center of the backline.
Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie filled in for Richards on Saturday in the final World Cup tuneup against Germany in Chicago.
At Monday’s practice in Irvine, Calif., Tyler Adams was not on the field. He worked in the gym for load management purposes, Pochettino said.
Richards, 26, suffered a pair of torn ligaments in his left ankle on May 17 as his Crystal Palace team played Brentford in a Premier League match. He did complete the match but limped off the field and has not competed since.
–Field Level Media
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