Sports
Tanner Bibee aims for elusive first win as Guardians face Royals
Apr 12, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images The Cleveland Guardians have won enough to compete for the early lead in the middling American League Central. However, they’ve struggled to win with Tanner Bibee on the mound.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals are amid their most successful stretch of the season — just as veteran Michael Wacha has cooled off from his strong start on the hill.
Bibee again tries for his first winning decision of 2026, while the visiting Guardians look to keep Wacha and the Royals from a fourth straight victory in Monday’s opener of a four-game set.
The Guardians won their season opener with Bibee (0-4, 4.08 ERA) getting the ball, but managed just one run of support while he’s been on the mound in losing his next six starts. Though the right-hander, who has posted double-digit win totals in each of his previous three MLB campaigns, has failed to complete more than six innings in any 2026 start, he’s yielded more than two earned runs only twice this year.
Bibee surrendered a run, four hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings of a 1-0 home loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday — the second consecutive start the Guardians failed to score for him.
“Pitchers are playing a very different sport, inside a sport,” Bibee said. “I feel like for pitchers, especially starting pitchers, you just got to worry about what you’re doing.
“You can’t affect anything else other than what you’re doing on the mound.”
Bibee is 4-0 with a 3.06 ERA in nine career starts against Kansas City, and the Guardians had won six straight outings of his in the series before falling 4-2 at home on April 6. He allowed five hits and a walk through 4 2/3 innings, but just one run.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino combined for three hits versus Bibee in that contest. Those two Royals, together, are 17-for-37 against him.
Cleveland won two of three versus Kansas City last month and just took two of three from the Athletics. However, the Royals are 8-3 since dropping eight straight and swept a three-game weekend series at Seattle.
“We don’t want to take that for granted. Just keep working,” Kansas City reliever Daniel Lynch IV told Royals.TV.
Wacha (2-2, 3.13 ERA) is 3-2 with a 2.32 ERA in nine career starts against the Guardians, and yielded a solo homer to Steven Kwan and two other hits over seven innings while opposing Bibee in that April matchup.
Wacha allowed three runs and 13 hits over 27 innings while going 2-0 in his first four 2026 starts. However, the right-hander, who turns 35 in July, has given up 10 runs and 15 hits over 10 1/3 in losing back-to-back outings.
He yielded eight hits, four walks and four runs, including a three-run homer, during Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Athletics.
“You have to keep going and make pitches in the zone, over the plate and get them out that way,” Wacha said. “It’s pitch after pitch that you got to execute and got to command.”
Kwan is 7-for-21 versus Wacha, and a career .310 hitter at Kansas City. His rookie teammate Chase DeLauter went 0-for-2 with a walk against Wacha in April but is 15-for-27 during an eight-game hitting streak.
Pasquantino is batting .188 in 2026, but he’s 5-for-14 in May.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lottie Woad leads Evian; Nelly Korda misses 1st cut in 2 years
Jun 25, 2026; Chaska, Minnesota, USA; Lottie Woad hits her tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Lottie Woad of England carded a 7-under-par 64 on Friday to secure a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Evian Championship in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Woad collected eight birdies against one bogey at the Evian Resort Golf Club to move to 11-under 131 at the fourth of this season’s five majors.
While Woad shot up the leaderboard, World No. 1 Nelly Korda saw her streak of 34 cuts made in official LPGA Tour events come to a halt on Friday. The four-time major winner’s bid for a birdie on the final hole fell inches short, putting her at 2-under 69 on Friday and 1-over 143 for the tournament.
Korda’s last missed cut was the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Woad caught fire on the back nine, highlighted by a run of birdies on Nos. 11-13 as well as birdies on the par-5 15th and 18th holes.
“Yeah, I think I just kept on giving myself chances. I mean, at the start I hit a lot of good approaches on one and two and didn’t make them,” Woad said. “On the back nine seemed to make most things.”
Woad is one shot ahead of first-round leader Aki Iwai (69 on Friday) of Japan. Iwai recorded five birdies, however a bogey on No. 17 and a double-bogey on the par-4 sixth hole soured her round.
Mao Saigo (68) of Japan benefited from a bogey-free round to join Haeran Ryu (68) of South Korea in third place, three strokes behind Woad.
Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul tallied an eagle on No. 7 and five birdies to card a 64 on Friday. The nine-time LPGA Tour winner resides in a four-way tie for fifth place at 6-under.
“Like I wanted to hit it on the fairway because I know if I hit on the fairway I might have a chance to go two to the green. Even I have to hit 3-woods,” Thitikul said of her approach on the par-5 seventh hole.
“But like it had a chance, because yesterday I miss by a tad bit to the left so I don’t have a chance to go to the green. So I had like over 40 feet putt and it just luckily went in.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber joins Bryce Harper in HR Derby
Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts with first baseman Bryce Harper (3) after hitting a home run during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The Phillies will be well represented in the Home Run Derby on Monday in Philadelphia.
Kyle Schwarber announced Friday that he is joining Phillies teammate Bryce Harper in the exhibition at Citizens Bank Park.
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker and Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras also have been confirmed to participate.
Schwarber, who leads the majors with 32 homers this season, reached the finals of the Home Run Derby in 2018. The then-Chicago Cubs slugger lost to Harper, who was then a member of the Nationals and the All-Star festivities were held in Washington.
Schwarber’s last foray in the Home Run Derby didn’t go so well. He lost in the first round in 2022.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tim Merlier sprints to victory at Stage 7 of Tour de France
Trek’s Mads Pedersen celebrates on the podium wearing the green jersey after stage 7. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes It was a vintage performance for 33-year-old Tim Merlier, who won Stage 7 at the Tour de France on Friday as he burst from the pack near the finish line at Bordeaux, France.
A native of Belgium, Merlier won his fourth career stage in his third appearance at the Tour de France. It was the 24th stage victory all time by a Belgian rider in Bordeaux.
Merlier was clear by a full bike length at the finish ahead of Soren Waerenskjold of Norway and Binian Girmay of Eritrea in the sprint finish, while Max Kanter of Germany finished fourth and 10-time stage winner Jasper Philipsen of Belgium was fifth.
Despite Merlier’s victory in the sprint, Mads Pedersen of Denmark remained in the green jersey to mark the overall sprint leader through the first week of the three-week grand tour race. Pedersen finished ninth in Stage 7 after winning Stage 4 on Tuesday.
Philipsen’s Alpecin-Premier Tech team was well organized into the final kilometer as Stage 7 finished along the Garonne River. Philipsen was near the front with 500 meters to go then charged into the lead at the 200-meter mark but was tracked down quickly by Merlier, his former teammate.
The bunch finish in the sprint stage meant that there was no change in the overall lead.
Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia remained in the overall leader’s yellow jersey, with rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark in second, 2 minutes, 42 seconds off the pace. Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico is in third place, followed by Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Juan Ayuso of Spain.
Just behind the top five is 19-year-old French rider Paul Seixas, who is the youngest competitor in the field.
Saturday’s Stage 8 will be another flat route for the sprinters with the 180.4 kilometer course extending from Perigueux to Bergerac.
–Field Level Media
Lottie Woad leads Evian; Nelly Korda misses 1st cut in 2 years
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber joins Bryce Harper in HR Derby
