Sports
Blue Jays search for solutions to struggles at Tampa Bay
May 4, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) reacts after striking out against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images After picking up Monday right where they left off over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays will try to win their three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays, who are a season-best 10 games over .500 after winning 5-1 in the opener, have prevailed in 10 of their past 11 contests.
They turned to a less familiar name on Monday: Ryan Vilade.
Batting third, the 27-year-old Texan slugged a three-run homer that was all the Rays needed to secure their fourth straight victory.
Hitting .286 for the season, Vilade is batting .357 with nine RBIs and an .936 OPS over his past 14 games.
Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Aranda, who went 3-for-4 on Monday, is 9-for-13 in his past three outings, and Rays starter Nick Martinez moved to 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA after producing five innings of one-run ball.
The Rays are 12-2 in games started by either Martinez or Steven Matz.
Tampa Bay beat the Blue Jays four straight times last May — once in Toronto, three times in Tampa — and Rays manager Kevin Cash noticed a change as the Jays cut a path to the World Series.
“I remember that series in May, we swept them,” Cash said Monday on the team’s radio pregame show. “But they did a nice job of resetting themselves. They got great production from top to bottom of their lineup.
“They played really good defense. That is probably the thing that changed the most for me. … They weren’t giving extra outs, and a pretty electric bullpen.”
Three games under .500 and 6-11 away from home, the reigning American League champion Blue Jays are visiting arguably their least favorite venue. Toronto has lost nine of its past 11 games at Tampa Bay — either in Tampa or St. Petersburg — and hasn’t posted a winning record on the road vs. the Rays since 2014.
“It’s not the building, it’s not the turf, it’s not the roof, it’s not the lights, it’s not anything,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “(The Rays) are a good team. You’ve got to play better is the bottom line.”
Tuesday’s matchup will feature two powerful right-handers.
The Blue Jays will send out Kevin Gausman (2-2, 3.10 ERA), possessor of a darting splitter, for his eighth start of the season.
In 5 2/3 innings against Minnesota in his last outing on Thursday, the 14-year veteran yielded four runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings while walking two and fanning two.
In 24 starts and two relief stints against the Rays, Gausman is 8-9 with a 4.06 ERA.
Tampa Bay will counter with Drew Rasmussen (2-1, 2.64 ERA), who lost his latest start in Cleveland after allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits in five innings on Wednesday.
In his 30 2/3 innings over six starts, the right-hander has a 0.848 WHIP that would lead the AL if he had pitched enough innings to qualify.
Rasmussen is 2-4 with a 2.65 ERA in nine starts and two relief appearances against the Blue Jays.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Geno Auriemma on dispute with Dawn Staley: 'Feel like a dumbass'
Apr 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley argue at the end of a semifinal of the Final Four of the women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma reflected Monday on his game-ending dispute with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley at the end of a Final Four defeat last month, saying, “I just feel like a dumbass for the way it played out.”
The Gamecocks prevailed 62-48 on April 3 in Phoenix, earning a spot in the national final and ending the Huskies’ perfect season.
As the final seconds ticked down, the two head coaches walked toward each other as though they were about to shake hands.
However, Auriemma didn’t put forward his hand, instead making a comment to Staley, who reacted angrily, and the two had to be separated. Auriemma was led away, but he soon came back past Staley, who continued to shout at him.
In his postgame interview, Auriemma complained about the Gamecocks’ physical play, adding, “Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referees some names you don’t wanna hear.”
His initial apology the next day didn’t mention Staley by name. Several days later, Auriemma apologized again, singling out Staley and saying he spoke with her about the incident. Staley issued a statement, saying she had moved on from the dispute.
On Monday, Auriemma said of actions on following the loss, “When I walked into the locker room afterward with the coaches, you are just shaking your head, thinking five more seconds, you couldn’t keep it in for five more seconds. … We are all human, and we all do dumb s—.”
The sports media and social media went after Auriemma in the days after the game.
“I didn’t see a lot of it, but (the reaction) is to be expected,” Auriemma said. “Maybe some of it was warranted and some of it was people lying in the weeds waiting for that for that moment.
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done for the game, it’s what you just did. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in today and it usually is one-sided. …
“I brought the criticism on myself, I didn’t bring the commotion that came after that on myself.”
Auriemma, 72, owns the all-time NCAA basketball record for coaching victories with 1,288. The Huskies have won 12 national championships during his tenure, the latest in 2025. The Final Four defeat to South Carolina last month snapped the Huskies’ 54-game win streak, and UConn ended the season 38-1.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Early offense guides Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto past Astros
May 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) hits a home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Alex Freeland and Kyle Tucker homered in support of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who worked six quality innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers won the opener of a three-game interleague series against the Houston Astros 8-3 on Monday.
The Dodgers won their second game in a row following a season-worst four-game skid. The Astros had won three of their previous four games.
Freeland keyed a two-run second inning with his second home run of the season, while Tucker ignited a four-run third by leading off that frame with his fourth long ball. The Dodgers did that damage against Astros right-hander Ryan Weiss (0-3), who followed opener Steven Okert and stranded the bases loaded in the first before scuffling the rest of his outing.
Freeland tied the score at 2-2 with his opposite-field shot to left-center field with one out in the second. Shohei Ohtani then walked and scored from first when Will Smith (3-for-5) smoked a double to left-center that Astros left fielder Zach Cole tracked at the wall but couldn’t squeeze.
The Dodgers pulled away an inning later. Tucker lined a 1-1 fastball from Weiss 376 feet to right-center, extending the lead to 4-2. After Andy Pages and Hyeseong Kim singled before Freeland walked to load the bases, Ohtani produced a fielder’s-choice grounder that plated Pages.
Freddie Freeman capped the outburst with a single to right that scored Kim, with Ohtani also coming home when Astros right fielder Cam Smith committed a fielding error on the play.
Weiss allowed an RBI single to Freeman in the fifth that drove home Freeland, who finished 3-for-4 with a walk. Weiss allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and four walks with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
Yamamoto (3-2) surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the first before finding his groove. Jose Altuve delivered an RBI single in the first that scored Yordan Alvarez, and Isaac Paredes gave Houston a 2-1 lead when he scored on a Yamamoto wild pitch.
Yamamoto needed only seven pitches to retire the Astros in order in the second, and he faced the minimum in the third and fourth innings. Cole smacked his first home run with one out in the fifth, but Yamamoto closed his outing by allowing three runs on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
Yordan Alvarez finished with two of Houston’s six hits.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Conforto's pinch-hit walk-off shot lifts Cubs over Reds
May 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Michael Conforto’s walk-off solo home run capped a two-run, ninth-inning rally and sent the Cubs to a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on a rainy Monday night in Chicago.
Conforto, pinch-hitting for Matt Shaw, hammered a 3-2 fastball from Reds closer Emilio Pagan (2-1) into the seats in left-center field, giving the National League Central-leading Cubs their sixth straight win.
Pete Crow-Armstrong opened the bottom of the ninth with a triple off the glove of Reds center fielder Dane Myers, who appeared to have the ball in his glove as he collided with the Wrigley Field’s ivy and brick wall. The ball fell to the ground and Crow-Armstrong raced to third base.
Pagan struck out Dansby Swanson, but Nico Hoerner hit a deep fly ball to left field for a game-tying sacrifice fly. Conforto then ended the game.
Ryan Rolison (2-0) struck out all three batters he faced in the top of the ninth.
Elly De La Cruz had three hits and Spencer Steer had two for the Reds, who lost their fourth straight game.
Steer drove in pinch runner Blake Dunn with a tiebreaking run in the top of the eighth for a 4-3 Reds lead.
Cincinnati’s Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-run home run and JJ Bleday socked a solo homer in a game that was delayed 100 minutes due to inclement weather. Those blasts put the Reds up 3-0 through the top of the fourth.
The Cubs tied the contest with one swing in the bottom of the fourth when Seiya Suzuki (2-for-3) took Reds starter Chase Petty deep over the wall in center field for a three-run shot.
In the eighth, Nathaniel Lowe drew a leadoff walk off Cubs reliever Ben Brown. Dunn pinch-ran and stole second base before Steer singled to left field. Dunn beat the throw home, getting his right hand on home plate just before being tagged.
The Cubs loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth against Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft on three walks, one of them intentional walk. Ashcraft struck out Carson Kelly swinging to escape the jam.
–Field Level Media
Geno Auriemma on dispute with Dawn Staley: 'Feel like a dumbass'
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