Sports
Angels' Jose Soriano on mission to regain form vs. Athletics
May 16, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Soriano (59) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels are hoping for a bounce-back effort from staff ace Jose Soriano as they try to earn a split of their four-game series with the Athletics on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif.
Soriano (6-3, 2.41 ERA) was the American League Pitcher of the Month for March/April after allowing only one earned run in 37 2/3 innings over his first six starts (0.24 ERA) while striking out 43 batters. But talk about a possible Cy Young Award has quieted down a little after he has lost three of his past four starts, allowing 15 earned runs in 22 innings.
Soriano comes in off his worst start of the season, a 15-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Saturday. He allowed a season-high six runs in 5 1/3 innings despite yielding just one hit, a single to Freddie Freeman.
Soriano walked a career-high six batters, including four in a five-run sixth inning that also saw him hit a batter. He left after throwing 92 pitches, just 48 that were strikes.
“Everything was good up until that moment, but then I struggled with command,” Soriano said. “A lot of walks. It is what it is. There’s nothing we can do about it. Just try and be ready for the next time.”
Soriano is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) in his career against the A’s. He was pounded for eight earned runs on five hits and five walks over 2 1/3 innings in his most recent start against the Athletics that came last Sept. 5 in Anaheim.
Los Angeles has lost eight of its past nine games and is just 6-23 in last 29 contests.
For the A’s, right-hander Luis Severino (2-5, 4.45) will get the nod on Thursday. He is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in seven career starts against the Angels.
Soriano will try to snap a personal three-start losing streak for the Athletics.
As with Soriano, May has not been a kind month for Severino, who is 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts. He comes in off a 6-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Saturday that saw him give up five runs on a season-high 10 hits — including a pair of home runs to Casey Schmitt — over six innings while striking out seven.
“Obviously, Schmitt was an issue,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “But I thought Sevy’s outing was a couple pitches away from being really good.”
The good news for the Athletics is the game is on the road, where Severino has excelled in an A’s uniform. Severino is 6-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 14 career road starts with the Athletics compared to 3-11 with a 5.91 ERA in 19 career starts at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif.
The A’s will be going for their third straight victory after rallying for a 6-5 win in 10 innings on Wednesday. Jeff McNeil led off the ninth with a home run off Kirby Yates to tie it, 5-5, and Tyler Soderstrom recorded his third RBI of the game after driving in Nick Kurtz with the winning run in the 10th.
Kurtz extended his on-base streak to 43 games with a single and two walks. He also scored two runs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockies place RHP Victor Vodnik (elbow) on 15-day IL
Apr 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Victor Vodnik (38) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Colorado Rockies placed closer Victor Vodnik on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday because of inflammation of the right ulnar nerve, also known as the funny bone.
In a corresponding move, the Rockies selected the contract of right-hander Keegan Thompson from Triple-A Albuquerque. They also designated first baseman Blaine Crim for assignment to clear a spot for Thompson on the 40-man roster.
Vodnik, 26, last pitched on Monday, when he allowed three runs, one hit and two walks on 14 pitches while facing three batters in Colorado’s 7-6 home win over the Texas Rangers.
The right-hander is 1-2 with four saves, an 8.00 ERA, 13 walks and 16 strikeouts in 18 innings over 18 relief appearances (10 games finished).
For his major league career in parts of four seasons with Colorado, Vodnik is 11-9 with 23 saves, a 4.53 ERA, 79 walks and 142 strikeouts in 151 innings over 140 relief appearances. He had career bests of 10 saves and a 3.02 ERA last season.
The Rockies already had starting pitcher Chase Dollander and Ryan Feltner and reliever Jimmy Herget on the IL.
Thompson, 31, pitched in the majors for the Chicago Cubs from 2021-24 and compiled a 17-11 record with five saves, a 3.64 ERA, 111 walks and 225 strikeouts in 227 1/3 innings over 104 games (23 starts).
This season at Albuquerque, Thompson was 1-3 with a 3.34 ERA, 10 walks and 19 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings over 11 games (five starts).
Crim, 28, who had not played in the majors this season, batted .200 with five home runs with 12 RBIs in a combined 20 games with the Texas Rangers and Colorado last season. He batted .265 with seven homers and 35 RBIs in 36 games this year for Albuquerque.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brewers' Kyle Harrison dominates as Cubs shut out for fifth straight loss
May 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Kyle Harrison allowed two hits over seven shutout innings to help the visiting Milwaukee Brewers finish off the three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 5-0 win on Wednesday evening.
Harrison (5-1) struck out 11 and walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.77.
David Hamilton singled twice, tripled, scored two runs and drove in another in the No. 9 spot, and William Contreras also had three hits and scored a run for Milwaukee, which has won three in a row and six of seven. Left-hander DL Hall pitched two innings of no-hit ball to complete the shutout.
Edward Cabrera (3-2) started for the Cubs and allowed four runs and four hits in three innings before getting lifted one pitch into the fourth inning because of a blister on his right middle finger. The right-hander struck out two and walked two.
The Cubs have lost a season-high five in a row and nine of eleven after getting off to a 27-12 start.
The Brewers successfully challenged for catcher’s interference on Carson Kelly with one out in the second, putting Sal Frelick on base. Joey Ortiz then walked, bringing up Hamilton, who hit a hard single up the middle that Pete Crow-Armstrong charged, but the ball rolled under his glove and continued to the warning track, allowing all three runners to score for a 3-0 lead.
Contreras walked to lead off the third inning. He stole second, continued to third on a throwing error by Kelly and scored on Jake Bauers’ two-out single through the right side to make it 4-0.
With one out in the seventh, Hamilton tripled into the right field corner on a ball that went off the chest of right fielder Seiya Suzuki. Hamilton then scored on a wild pitch by Phil Maton to make it 5-0.
Harrison allowed a leadoff double into the left field corner by Nico Hoerner in the first. Hoerner tried to advance to third on deep fly to left-center and he was initially ruled safe, but Milwaukee challenged and the replay showed center fielder Garrett Mitchell’s throw was in time.
Harrison also walked Suzuki to start the second, but the 24-year-old left-hander retired the next 15 batters in a row before Alex Bregman singled to lead off the seventh. He was left stranded at first base.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios undergoes Tommy John surgery
Feb 28, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios (17) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the second inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios will miss at least another year of action after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Wednesday.
Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Texas, beginning with the hope that only a minor removal of “loose bodies” in the elbow would be required. However, the ultimate diagnosis was that a full elbow ligament reconstruction was required.
“The bone in the elbow was on the ligament. Not ideal,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “We kind of decided that, when they go in there, if that’s compromised at all, we’ll fix it. It was. He’ll be down for 12 to 14 months.”
Berrios has been on the injured list all season while trying to work his way back from the elbow ailment that kept him off the team’s postseason roster last fall. He made four minor league rehab appearances in the past month, going 0-1 with a 10.67 ERA in Class-A and Triple-A. Most recently, his fastball velocity was lower than normal for Triple-A Buffalo.
The 31-year-old veteran had been an ever-present part of the Toronto rotation since the Blue Jays acquired him from the Minnesota Twins in a July 2021 trade. He made at least 30 starts in each of the past five seasons, though he was briefly moved to the bullpen last September before landing on the injured list.
“It’s weird not having him,” Schneider said. “We were looking for him to get back to normal, and he was hoping for that, too. It’s definitely weird and frustrating for him, too.”
Last year, Berrios went 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 games (30 starts).
A two-time All-Star, Berrios has a career 108-82 record and a 4.08 ERA in 275 games, including 273 starts, for Minnesota (2016-21) and Toronto (2021-25).
He has two years and $48 million remaining on the seven-year, $131 million extension he signed with the Blue Jays in November 2021.
–Field Level Media
Rockies place RHP Victor Vodnik (elbow) on 15-day IL
Brewers' Kyle Harrison dominates as Cubs shut out for fifth straight loss
