Sports
Guardians, Reds make changes for key players in offensive doldrums
May 2, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan (38) head into the dugout after the eighth inning in a game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Two-time All-Star Steven Kwan has been one of the best leadoff hitters in the majors since 2022.
With Kwan’s ongoing slump showing no signs of ending, Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made a dramatic move to take some pressure off him.
Kwan has been dropped from first to sixth in the batting order, where he is slated to remain Sunday afternoon when the Guardians wrap up their homestand against the Cincinnati Reds.
Cincinnati right-hander Brady Singer (2-3, 5.79 ERA) will start against Cleveland righty Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.74) in the finale of the three-game series.
“It’s probably been a couple weeks coming, so I have no problem with it,” Kwan said of the change. “I don’t want to hurt the team in any way. I think (Vogt) was just respecting me and wanting to keep things the same.”
A four-time Gold Glove award winner in left field, his struggles have coincided with his new role swinging between left and center in 2026.
Kwan’s batting average is just .204, far and away the lowest of his career, and his on-base percentage is .316.
Moving him down in the order and putting Kwan in left field seemed to alleviate some of the pressure Saturday, when he went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks in Cleveland’s 7-4 win.
“He’s our guy. He’s gonna be back in the first hole,” Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio said of Kwan. “He’s going to be the best first hitter in the game. He’s going to be fine.”
Kwan’s lack of production has been a major reason why the Guardians’ offense has stagnated. Opposing pitchers haven’t had to face franchise icon Jose Ramirez in nearly as many RBI situations.
With the bases empty, Kwan hit only .183 and had a .286 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot that he had occupied since June 19, 2022.
“There have been elements of timing, pitch selection and mechanical things for him this season,” Vogt said. “I told Kwanny, ‘It’s time to get back to who you are.’ “
Williams originally was slated to pitch on Saturday but was bumped back a day for matchup purposes in his first career game against the Reds. He is 5-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 18 career interleague outings.
Singer has plenty of experience against Cleveland from his five years with the Kansas City Royals, compiling a 3-3 record and 4.88 ERA in 15 appearances.
Cincinnati has lost all three of Singer’s starts in May, when he is 0-2 with a 7.62 ERA and averaging a mere 4 1/3 innings per.
Reds manager Terry Francona is also dealing with a young hitter who has run into recent obstacles in rookie first baseman Sal Stewart.
Stewart led the majors in homers at one point in April, but his 0-for-2, one-RBI performance Saturday dropped his average over the last 19 games to .147 with just one long ball and 18 strikeouts.
“Things aren’t going the way I want them, but that’s strictly on me,” said Stewart, who is batting .236 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in 46 total games. “I’ve got to look for better pitches to hit.”
Francona isn’t making drastic changes yet, but the manager did move Stewart from the cleanup spot to third in the order four games ago. Stewart is hitless in 14 at-bats in his new role.
“Trying to let the game come to you, it’s easier said than done,” Francona said. “He’s started getting pounded inside, which has gotten him a little off what he was doing before.
“He will be OK. He’s too good a hitter.”
The Reds won the series opener 7-6 before losing Saturday.
The teams wrap up their annual, home-and-home Ohio Cup competition with three games in Cincinnati from July 27-29. The Reds currently possess the trophy after going 5-1 against Cleveland in 2025.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros start fast, power past Jacob deGrom, Rangers
May 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) crosses home plate after hitting a home run to left field against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez slugged first-inning home runs to key a four-homer assault that propelled the Houston Astros to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers on Saturday.
The Astros secured the three-game series and will aim for a sweep on Sunday in the finale. Houston prevented Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (3-3) from securing his 100th win by doing something only one other team has accomplished against deGrom in his illustrious career.
Altuve drilled a 2-0 fastball from deGrom 358 feet out to left field in the bottom of the first inning for his 42nd career leadoff home run. Altuve spotted the Astros a 1-0 lead with his fourth homer of the season and, two batters later, Alvarez doubled that margin by taking deGrom out to right.
Alvarez launched a 3-2 fastball 362 feet for his 15th home run this season. Suddenly trailing 2-0, deGrom rallied with strikeouts of Christian Walker and Braden Shewmake to begin a stretch where he retired eight of nine batters. Zach Dezenzo singled with two outs in the second inning.
But the Astros ambushed deGrom again in the fourth. Walker crushed the first pitch of that frame, a fastball, 422 feet to left-center field for his 11th home run and a 3-0 lead. After deGrom retired Shewmake and Brice Matthews, Zach Cole blasted his third homer 361 feet to right.
deGrom allowed four home runs for the second time in 257 career starts. On July 7, 2017, he surrendered four dingers in a 6-5 road win over the St. Louis Cardinals with the New York Mets. deGrom retired the final seven batters he faced following the Cole homer and surrendered four runs on five hits with four strikeouts in six innings. He matched his season high with 94 pitches.
Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (2-3) worked five scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and issued four walks while notching seven strikeouts.
Joc Pederson produced an RBI single against Houston reliever Enyel De Los Santos in the top of the seventh, but the Rangers finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 baserunners overall.
Altuve departed in the eighth, clutching his left side after grounding into a double play. He is set to undergo imaging Sunday morning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sam Sarver's late goal lifts FC Dallas past Earthquakes
May 16, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; FC Dallas defender Nolan Norris (32) passes past San Jose Earthquakes forward Preston Judd (19) during the first half at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images Sam Sarver scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage time and FC Dallas continued its recent surge with a 3-2 victory over the host San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
Petar Musa and Patrickson Delgado also scored goals for FC Dallas (6-4-4, 22 points), while Jonathan Sirois made six saves, including one from the penalty spot, in his club debut. The club is 3-1-0 this month while scoring 10 total goals in the stretch.
FC Dallas was without head coach Eric Quill, who received a straight red card in 3-2 loss Wednesday against the Whitecaps, while assistant coach Mark Briggs ran the club.
Reid Roberts and Beau Leroux scored goals for the Earthquakes (9-3-2, 29 points), while Daniel made seven saves. After a red-hot start to the season, San Jose is now 0-2-2 in May but remained even with the Vancouver Whitecaps for most points in MLS.
Delgado scored 54 seconds into the match after the Earthquakes were unable to clear a ball out of the penalty area. Delgado took possession near the penalty spot and scored on a deflection inside the left post. The goal was the fifth fastest in club history.
The Earthquakes tied it 1-1 in the 18th minute when Leroux swung his right leg from near the top of the penalty and delivered a perfect strike into the top right corner of the goal.
San Jose had a chance to take the lead in the 42nd minute, but Leroux’s shot from the penalty spot was saved on a dive from Sirois.
FC Dallas took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute when Musa scored his 12th of the season to move him alone in second for most goals in the league behind the Chicago Fire’s Hugo Cuypers.
San Jose tied it in the 81st minute when Roberts scored off a corner kick when FC Dallas failed to clear the ball from the front of the goal.
Sarver’s game winner three minutes into second-half stoppage time came when FC Dallas took possession near midfield and sent the forward on a breakaway to beat Daniel.
Sports
MLB roundup: Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez K's 13 Pirates in CG shutout
May 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Cristopher Sanchez struck out a career-high 13 in his second career shutout to guide the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Bryce Harper hit a mammoth three-run homer and Trea Turner went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for Philadelphia, which evened its record at 23-23 with its 14th win in 18 games since Don Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson as interim manager late last month.
Marcell Ozuna went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts for Pittsburgh, which managed only six hits and drew no walks against Sanchez (5-2). Pirates starter Bubba Chandler (1-5) allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and four walks in three innings.
Sanchez struck out two in the eighth before surpassing his career high in punchouts with a strikeout of Ozuna in the ninth. His 108th and final pitch of the day resulted in Nick Yorke’s game-ending grounder.
Blue Jays 2, Tigers 1 (10 innings)
Daulton Varsho’s one-out single in the 10th drove in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to lift Toronto to victory over host Detroit.
Yohendrick Pinango poked his first career homer for the Blue Jays while Matt Vierling homered to account for the Tigers’ run. Riley Greene extended his hitting streak to 11 games – the longest active streak in the bigs – with a ninth-inning single.
Louis Varland (2-1) threw two scoreless innings, which included escaping from a first-and-third jam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Detroit starter Casey Mize gave up just two hits over six scoreless innings in his first start since April 28. Tyler Holton (0-2) allowed the unearned run in the 10th.
Cardinals 4, Royals 2
Kyle Leahy’s strong start led host St. Louis past Kansas City. Leahy (5-3) got his third win in his last four starts, throwing six innings of one-run ball.
Alec Burleson knocked in two for the Cardinals, and Victor Scott II and Masyn Winn also added RBIs. Nathan Church went 2-for-3 with a run scored. George Soriano picked up his second save.
Royals starter Noah Cameron (2-3) pitched six innings and allowed five hits, no walks and fanned four. Jac Caglianone hit his fifth home run of the year and Vinnie Pasquantino went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 2
Mickey Moniak drove in two runs as Colorado evened its weekend series with Arizona in Denver.
Jake McCarthy, Brenton Doyle and Willi Castro added two hits apiece for the Rockies in just the third game this season at Coors Field without a home run. Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3) allowed two runs and seven hits in his five-inning stint while Antonio Senzatela picked up the save.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. stole home for the Diamondbacks as he and Ketel Marte each went 2-for-4 with a run. Eduardo Rodriguez (4-1) gave up three runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Marlins 10, Rays 5 (10 innings)
Liam Hicks ripped a two-run single and Javier Sanoja added a three-run double to highlight an eight-run 10th inning that fueled Miami to a victory over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The late offensive eruption made a winner of former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks (1-2), who saw former Marlin Nick Fortes rip an RBI single off the glove of third baseman Sanoja with two outs in the ninth to tie the game at 2.
Hunter Bigge (1-1) was charged with eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and two walks in one inning. Tampa Bay’s Richie Palacios celebrated his 29th birthday by collecting two hits, and Chandler Simpson added an RBI single for the Rays, who saw their 11-game home win streak snapped.
Nationals 13, Orioles 3
Keibert Ruiz had three hits, including a homer, and drove in five runs, and Cade Cavalli pitched into the seventh inning as host Washington beat Baltimore.
Jacob Young and Brady House each had two hits with a homer and three RBIs, and CJ Abrams had three hits for Washington, which reached the .500 mark after losing their previous 15 games when they had a chance to do so going back to 2024. Cavalli (2-2) allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out eight without a walk in 6 1/3 innings.
Samuel Basallo and Tyler O’Neil hit back-to-back home runs for Baltimore, which has scored three runs or less in eight of its past nine games. Orioles starter Chris Bassitt (3-3) gave up four runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one.
White Sox 8, Cubs 3
Munetaka Murakami hit two home runs to lead a five-homer barrage and right-hander Davis Martin allowed one run and five hits over six strong innings as the host White Sox defeated the Cubs.
Murakami, in his first major league season, highlighted the power display with his first career multi-homer game. Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery each went deep for the second straight night while Andrew Benintendi contributed his first round-tripper since April 23.
Miguel Amaya had two hits for the Cubs, including a solo homer. Pete Crow-Armstrong capped the scoring with a two-run blast in the ninth.
Astros 4, Rangers 1
Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez slugged first-inning home runs to key a four-homer assault that propelled Houston to a victory over visiting Texas.
Houston prevented Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (3-3) from securing his 100th win by doing something only one other team has accomplished against deGrom in his illustrious career — hit four home runs off the two-time NL Cy Young winner. Christian Walker and Zach Cole took deGrom deep in the fourth. Altuve departed in the eighth, clutching his left side after grounding into a double play. He is set to undergo imaging Sunday morning.
Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (2-3) worked five scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and issued four walks while notching seven strikeouts. Joc Pederson produced an RBI single in the seventh, but the Rangers finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 baserunners overall.
Guardians 7, Reds 4
Angel Martinez hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning off Pierce Johnson and scored three runs, lifting Cleveland Guardians to a comeback win over visiting Cincinnati.
Cleveland trailed 4-2 before scoring five times over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Erik Sabrowski (2-1) struck out Elly De La Cruz — the only batter he faced — in the seventh. Guardians starter Joey Cantillo pitched five innings, giving up four runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
Spencer Steer’s two-run double gave the Reds their initial advantage in the fifth inning. Chris Paddack, who was released by the Marlins on May 11, worked five innings in his Cincinnati debut, allowing six hits and striking out three with one walk.
Red Sox 3, Braves 2
Willson Contreras crushed a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, lifting visiting Boston to a win over Atlanta.
Contreras’ big swing made a winner out of Peyton Tolle (2-2), who tossed a career-high eight innings in the victory. The Red Sox rookie left-hander allowed just two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three. Aroldis Chapman stranded the bases loaded in Atlanta’s ninth to record his 10th save of the season
Drake Baldwin (home run) and Jose Azocar (two doubles) both went 2-for-3 for the Braves, combining for all four of the team’s hits. Bryce Elder (4-2) was a tough-luck loser, allowing three runs on seven hits through eight innings.
Mets 6, Yankees 3
Mark Vientos had three RBIs for the host Mets, who received gritty relief work from Luke Weaver in the victory over the Yankees in the second game of the Subway Series.
Weaver, who signed with the Mets last December after two-plus seasons with the Yankees, entered with the bases loaded in the seventh and struck out Amed Rosario and Trent Grisham before getting Anthony Volpe to hit into a forceout. Austin Wells singled off Weaver to open the eighth, but Weaver got Ben Rice to hit into a double play and retired Aaron Judge on a flyout to center.
Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt had RBIs for the Yankees, who have dropped seven of 10. The Yankees prevailed 5-2 in Friday’s series opener.
Giants 6, Athletics 4
Casey Schmitt hit two homers for the second time in his career and finished with four hits and three RBIs to lead San Francisco to a victory over the Athletics at West Sacramento, Calif.
The four-hit outing was the fourth of Schmitt’s career and it helped the Giants halt a three-game losing streak. Willy Adames had three hits and two RBI and Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert added two hits apiece for San Francisco, which had 14 overall, eight for extra bases. Trevor McDonald (2-0) allowed one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings.
Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer and joined Darell Hernaiz in having two hits for the Athletics, who lost for the fourth time in their past six games. Luis Severino (2-5) gave up five runs and 10 hits over six innings.
Dodgers, 15, Angels 2
Shohei Ohtani drove in five runs with a late triple and double, Justin Wrobleski combined with three relievers on an eight-hitter and the Dodgers took advantage of Jose Soriano’s wildness to wallop the Angels 15-2 in the Freeway Series in Anaheim, Calif.
While the game was still competitive, Alex Call had the only hit of a five-run sixth, a two-run single, helping the Dodgers pull away and sending the Angels to their fifth straight loss. Soriano allowed just one hit in 5 1/3 innings but was charged with six runs. He walked six and struck out six.
Jo Adell’s two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning got the Angels on the scoreboard, but that’s all they got against Wrobleski in his six innings. The left-hander limited the Angels to two runs and seven hits, walking one and striking out five.
Brewers 2, Twins 1
Jackson Chourio doubled and hit a go-ahead solo shot for his first home run of the season, and Milwaukee edged Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Chourio had the only extra-base hits for the Brewers, but it was all they needed to win their third straight game and for eighth time in their last nine. Right-hander Logan Henderson (1-1) allowed one run on six hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out seven.
Trevor Larnach hit a solo home run for the Twins, Kody Clemens finished 2-for-4 with a double, and James Outman hit his first triple of the shander Connor Prielipp (1-2) took the hard-luck loss despite limiting Milwaukee to two runs (one earned) on three hits in six innings. The rookie from Tomah, Wis., walked two and fanned eight against the team from his home state.
Padres 7, Mariners 4
Gavin Sheets, Nick Castellanos and rookie Rodolfo Duran homered as San Diego defeated host Seattle to improve to 5-0 in the series this season.
Duran’s seventh-inning homer was his first career major league hit. He was robbed of a second two-run homer in the ninth by Julio Rodriguez. Right-hander Walker Buehler (3-2) worked five innings for the victory, allowing two runs on five hits.
J.P. Crawford homered and Cole Young knocked in two runs for the Mariners, who fell behind 5-0 in the fourth inning. Logan Gilbert (2-4) allowed seven runs on five hits over 6 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
