Sports
Nick Kurtz drives in 5 as Athletics blow out Angels
May 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker (25) hits a RBI single in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Nick Kurtz had three hits and drove in five runs for the Athletics in a 14-6 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Zack Gelof also had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs as the visitors leveled the four-game series at one victory apiece. Brent Rooker homered and knocked in three runs for the A’s, who ended a three-game skid.
A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez was staked to a 6-0 lead but couldn’t get last long enough for the win. He was finished after 3 2/3 innings, having allowed four runs and seven hits while striking out two and walking three.
Justin Sterner (2-3) retired the only batter he faced to close the fourth.
Angels starter Reid Detmers (1-5) allowed a career-high eight runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out eight and walked two.
Mike Trout homered for the Angels, who had scored two runs or fewer in each of the previous seven games, losing six of those. Trout, Vaughn Grissom and Josh Lowe drove in two runs apiece.
Detmers struck out five of the first six A’s batters but gave up six runs with two outs in the third.
Kurtz had an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. Colby Thomas then dropped a two-run double into right-center field. Rooker followed with an RBI single, and Gelof finished off the scoring with a two-run bloop single to center to make it 6-0.
Trout led off the third with a home run to center to cut it to 6-1. He then walked with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth to force in a run. Grissom followed with a two-strike single to left to score two runs and slice the deficit to 6-4, ending the night for Lopez.
The A’s struck again with two outs in the sixth.
Jose Fermin replaced Detmers with runners on first and second and walked the first batter he faced, bringing up Kurtz, who singled up the middle to score two runs and make it 8-4.
Gelof blasted a solo homer into the right field seats in the seventh to make it 9-4. Kurtz smashed a two-run double in the eighth, and Rooker followed with a two-run blast to left-center for a 13-4 lead.
Lowe answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth.
Gelof singled in the ninth and scored on a base hit by Darell Hernaiz.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Suns agree to 4-year, $48M deal with G Collin Gillespie
Apr 19, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12) shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) defends in the first quarter during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Versatile guard Collin Gillespie is reportedly passing on free agency and has agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract to remain with the Phoenix Suns, according to reports on Saturday.
Gillespie emerged as a long-range shooting threat last season and set a franchise record with 232 3-point baskets. Quentin Richardson (226 in 2004-05) held the old mark.
Gillespie also recorded career highs of 12.7 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 80 games (58 starts). He shot 40.1% from 3-point range.
Gillespie meshed well with Suns star Devin Booker in the backcourt, another factor in the push to keep him with a team that surprisingly posted a 45-37 record last season. Phoenix lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
After earning third-team All-American honors in each of his final two college seasons at Villanova, Gillespie wasn’t selected in the 2022 NBA Draft. He played 24 games for the Denver Nuggets in 2023-24 before joining Phoenix and playing in 33 games (nine starts) in 2024-25.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Spain seek reset vs. Saudi Arabia after opening draw
June 15, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.; Spain’s Marc Cucurella in action. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Spain extended their unbeaten streak in competitive fixtures to 32 matches during their World Cup opener last week.
And yet, it was hard not to see La Roja’s scoreless draw against debutant Cape Verde — the third-least-populated country to ever qualify for the World Cup — as a disastrous start for Spain, who entered ranked second in the FIFA/Coca-Cola world rankings.
The Spaniards will look to reestablish themselves as threats when they continue Group H play against Saudi Arabia on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.
Spain (0-0-1, 1 point) controlled their opening match, holding 65% of the possession, a 27-6 edge in shots and 7-1 in shots on net.
Defender Marc Cucurella chose to focus on the upside of starting with a performance like this.
“I think it’s good that it happened to us in the first match,” Cucurella said. “Because maybe it happens to you in another round and you go home.”
The addition of teenage star Lamine Yamal off the bench in the 71st minute, returning from a hamstring injury, transformed the attack. But even he couldn’t break through for Spain, who failed to win their World Cup opener for the fourth time in the last five trips.
It sounds like Yamal will once again be limited on Sunday as the team is playing the long game for what they hope will be a stretch of eight games this summer.
“I feel good physically, I’m ready for whatever the boss wants,” Yamal said Friday in a Spanish television interview. “It’s very early, it’s unnecessary (to play 90 minutes). I have a process of adaptation. It isn’t the moment to play a full game but I’ll play the minutes the boss wants.”
Saudi Arabia (0-0-1, 1 point) enter this match ahead of Spain via the goals scored tiebreaker. The Green Falcons did not have the same problem scoring in their opener against Uruguay, leading for nearly 40 minutes after Abdulelah Al-Amri’s late-first-half goal.
But a late equalizer from Uruguay kept Saudi Arabia from taking early command of the group with their second straight upset to begin a World Cup after the 2022 Argentina stunner.
In the end, Saudi Arabia, who trailed Uruguay 1.72-0.66 in expected goals, were likely satisfied with the draw, even though they blew a lead.
“When we’re faced with certain opponents, getting one point is a positive event and this is a booster for our psychology,” Saudi Arabia manager Georgios Donis said after the match. “Currently I’m trying to learn my team. I’m trying to learn my players and get to know them.”
Both draws leave all four Group H teams on one point entering a critical second matchday.
A win in either of the next two matches would likely be enough for Saudi Arabia to advance to the knockout stage for the first time since their World Cup debut in 1994. However, that may not be an easy task for a team that has won only two total matches in their six World Cup appearances since 1994.
–Group G, Belgium vs. Iran in Inglewood, Calif.: Belgium, looking to return to the knockout stage after missing it in 2022, opened with a somewhat surprising 1-1 draw with Egypt. Iran, who rallied twice for an opening 2-2 draw against New Zealand, are seeking their first-ever knockout stage appearance.
–Group H, Uruguay vs. Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla.: Likely the top storyline from the opening set of matches, Cape Verde have another tough test as they seek their first World Cup victory. Uruguay look to do what Spain couldn’t and take care of business against an overmatched team on paper.
–Group G, New Zealand vs. Egypt in Vancouver: Neither New Zealand nor Egypt have ever won a match at the World Cup, let alone advance out of a single group stage. A win by either would move them to the brink of clinching a spot.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brewers manager Pat Murphy to have back surgery Thursday
Jun 7, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) walks to the mound for a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Saturday that he will undergo back surgery on the team’s Thursday off-day, one day before the start of a three-game series with the visiting Chicago Cubs.
Murphy also is slated to undergo hip surgery on July 13 at the start of the All-Star break. He said he doesn’t expect either procedure to cause him to miss any games.
Murphy said the back being severely acting up earlier this month when the team was playing the Athletics in Las Vegas. He underwent an MRI exam last Sunday and was diagnosed with a ruptured disc.
Murphy, 67, said the pain is intense. He recently described it as shooting pain through his leg and back when trying to stand up.
“I can’t live like that,” Murphy told reporters. “… I’m having the surgery so it works out good.”
The two-time National League Manager of the Year jokingly said, “So I’ll have that on Thursday. And I’ll be fine by Friday. Jumping jacks by Saturday.”
Murphy said the back pain is related to the hip issue. He was dealing with hip pain during the 2025 season as well.
Murphy is in his third season as Brewers manager and guided the club into the postseason in each of the two first campaigns while winning the top manager award both seasons.
Milwaukee leads the National League Central with a 45-29 record despite falling 4-3 to the host Atlanta Braves on Saturday. Ozzie Albies of the Braves hit a walk-off two-run homer.
Murphy is 235-163 with the Brewers. He also served as interim manager for the San Diego Padres in 2015 and went 42-54.
–Field Level Media
Reports: Suns agree to 4-year, $48M deal with G Collin Gillespie
Spain seek reset vs. Saudi Arabia after opening draw
