Sports
Athletics not surprised by success as they seek sweep of Orioles
May 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21) right fielder Colby Thomas (32) and center fielder Lawrence Butler (4) celebrate the win against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images The Athletics aren’t surprised about their rising levels of success as they look for a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles when they close out a road trip Sunday afternoon.
“The expectation level was there,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “For us as a club, we’ve gotten better each year. Big emphasis on defense. Our emphasis on the mound is throwing strikes and not giving up free bases, which I think we did a good job with (Saturday). Those areas of improvement have allowed us to have some consistency in the way we play.”
Saturday’s 6-2 victory gave the Athletics a three-game winning streak for only the second time this season, maintaining their 2 1/2-game lead atop the American League West.
“The group has matured,” Kotsay said. “Obviously, you’d like to accelerate the progress.”
The Orioles have hit a rough patch with a three-game losing streak and defeats in eight of their last 10 games. Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said the number of strikeouts for the team’s batters (11) was concerning Saturday.
The Athletics like how Zack Gelof has adjusted to playing at third base. He had been groomed as an outfielder, but he made a couple of notable plays in the infield Saturday.
“The athleticism showed,” Kotsay said. ” … He’s settling in right now and he looks really comfortable over there.”
Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz carries a 33-game on-base streak into Sunday’s game. That’s the longest active streak in the majors, and it paid off Saturday as he scored half of the team’s six runs.
Right-hander Luis Severino (2-3, 4.15 ERA) gets the call on the mound for the Athletics and he’ll be aiming for his fourth consecutive solid start. He won two straight outings before being tagged with the loss Tuesday in Philadelphia while giving up one run in five innings. Each of his last three starts have involved yielding one run, with the other two outings lasting at least into the seventh inning.
Severino is 7-4 with a 5.38 ERA in 15 matchups (13 starts) against Baltimore. Of his 75 career victories, he owns more against the Orioles than any other team.
The Athletics have received good coverage from relievers the past few games.
“We’re going to go through games where the bullpen doesn’t have success,” Kotsay said. “That’s just part of the season. It’s never going to go perfect. For us, our bullpen, I think, has been a strength.”
The Orioles turn to right-hander Chris Bassitt (2-2, 5.91 ERA), who had his second-shortest outing of the season (four innings) Tuesday at Miami, where he gave up four runs in a no-decision. Baltimore has won the last five games Bassitt has started.
Bassitt holds a 3-1 record with a 4.20 ERA in eight career outings (seven starts) versus the Athletics.
The Orioles had infielder Blaze Alexander available off the bench after he sat out Friday with a calf injury.
“I just felt something a little different in my calf,” he said of the ailment, which resulted in only a one-day absence.
The Orioles had infielder Jose Barrero on hand Saturday from Triple-A Norfolk in case Alexander needed to be put on the injured list, but that wasn’t the case.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Byron Buxton accounts for both Twins runs to beat Guardians in 11
May 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Byron Buxton’s RBI double in the 11th inning gave the Minnesota Twins a 2-1 win over the host Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night as each team managed only two hits.
The game’s start was delayed two hours and 6 minutes by rain.
Buxton had both of the Twins’ hits as he led off the game with a home run. His double in the top of the 11th was the game-winner, scoring automatic runner Matt Wallner from third to snap Minnesota’s three-game losing streak.
The Twins escaped bases-loaded, one-out situations for the Guardians in the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings.
Cleveland had its three-game winning streak ended.
Minnesota reliever Eric Orze (1-1) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Luis Garcia worked the 11th for his first save.
Guardians right-hander Peyton Pallette (1-2) allowed one run on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in two innings.
Both starters were outstanding.
Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee allowed a run on one hit — Buxton’s homer — in six innings with two walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. His run of retiring 10 straight batters was snapped by a walk to Luke Keaschall with two outs in the fourth.
The Twins’ Joe Ryan gave up a run and two hits in six innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Kyle Manzardo’s RBI single tied the game 1-1 in the fourth for Cleveland. Jose Ramirez, who got the first hit off of Ryan with one out and stole second, scored on the play.
Ryan worked his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam later in the inning by striking out Angel Martinez and Austin Hedges.
Buxton’s homer was his 13th this season as he took Bibee’s 1-1 cutter over the wall in left.
The Twins placed starting pitcher Taj Bailey (4-1, 2.87) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 6, with pec muscle inflammation. Minnesota also recalled RHP Travis Adams from Triple-A St. Paul.
The Guardians acquired catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants for left-handed pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and Cleveland’s Competitive Balance Round A pick (29th overall) in the 2026 draft and sent catcher Bo Naylor to Triple-A Columbus.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jeong Sang-bin's goal lifts St. Louis City past Rapids
May 9, 2026; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; St. Louis City midfielder Conrad Wallem (6) and Colorado Rapids midfielder Paxten Aaronson (10) battle for the ball in the first half at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Jeong Sang-bin scored in the 26th minute Saturday and visiting St. Louis City SC logged its first clean sheet since last year, blanking the Colorado Rapids 1-0 in a contentious match.
It was the first goal this year for Sang-bin. Goalie Roman Burki started the sequence with a long goal kick that Simon Becher conveyed to a streaking Sang-bin. Racing down the pitch’s middle, Sang-bin easily dribbled by goalie Nicolas Hansen and poked the ball home.
Colorado’s bid at a second-half rally took a hit when Rob Holding was sent off in the 51st minute after fouling Becher. St. Louis (2-6-3, 9 points) played 36 minutes of 11-on-10 soccer before Chris Durkin was booked for the second time in the 87th minute, leveling the teams at 10 men each.
Rafael Navarro, Keegan Rosenberry and Georgi Minoungou each had good chances to equalize after Durkin’s dismissal. But Navarro’s header sailed right of the net in the 87th minute and Rosenberry couldn’t finish two minutes into stoppage time.
Minoungou then sailed a header over the crossbar, a shot that was estimated to have a 48% chance of going into the net. St. Louis held on through six more minutes of stoppage time for its first road win of the year.
The Rapids (3-5-4, 13 points) wasted a major advantage in possession time (58.1% to 41.9) and got just two of their 11 shots on frame, with Burki denying both. Colorado created a whopping 11 corner kicks but couldn’t convert its set pieces into goals.
Both teams were hoping to display better form than they showed in recent fixtures. St. Louis was 0-3-2 in its previous five matches and the Rapids were 0-3-1 in their prior four matches.
The first half was played on even terms until Sang-bin struck. Despite Colorado controlling the ball 55.1% of the time, each team took five shots and got one to net.
Referee Tim Ford whistled 36 fouls and administered a total of nine cards in a physical match.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pirates collect 20 hits as Braxton Ashcraft dominates Giants
May 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (35) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images Braxton Ashcraft threw seven innings of one-run ball, batterymate Joey Bart matched his career high with four hits and the Pittsburgh Pirates used a 20-hit assault to roll past the host San Francisco Giants 13-3 on Saturday night.
Nick Gonzales also collected four hits and Brandon Lowe had four RBIs for the Pirates, who won for the sixth time in their last eight games.
Giants starter Landen Roupp (5-3) matched zeroes with Ashcraft for four innings before Bart led off the fifth with an infield single on the right-hander’s 94th pitch, prompting San Francisco manager Tony Vitello to go to his bullpen.
After a single and steal by Oneil Cruz, the Pirates went ahead 1-0 on Lowe’s sacrifice fly and then 2-0 on an RBI single by Bryan Reynolds.
Bryce Eldridge launched his first career home run to get the Giants on the board in the last of the inning, before Pittsburgh seized control with a two-run sixth and blew the game open with a six-run seventh.
Konnor Griffin and Bart had RBI singles in the sixth, before Lowe lashed the big hit of the seventh — a two-run triple.
Bart made it a four-hit day when his leadoff single off Christian Koss, normally an infielder, triggered a three-run ninth.
Ashcraft (2-2) limited the Giants to six hits in his seven innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.
Bart, who played his first four seasons with the Giants, matched the four hits he’d recorded twice last year for the Pirates. He had three hits five times as a Giant.
The catcher scored three times and drove in two runs.
Cruz also scored three times and had three hits, while Lowe and Spencer Horwitz scored twice apiece. Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn had two hits each in the season-best 20-hit attack.
Heliot Ramos had a pair of singles for the Giants, who won the series opener 5-2 on Friday night. San Francisco has lost nine of its last 11 games.
The Giants completed the game’s scoring with two in the last of the ninth on a bases-loaded walk to Drew Gilbert and an RBI single by Eric Haase.
–Field Level Media
