Sports
Casey Mize, Tigers out to stop Guardians' bid for sweep
Apr 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize (12) throws against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Casey Mize made a stellar return from the injured list last weekend. The Detroit Tigers need him to retain that form on Thursday as they try to prevent the visiting Cleveland Guardians from completing a four-game sweep.
Cleveland, which has won five in a row and eight of its past nine games, took the series opener 8-2 on Monday. The Guardians won one-run games the past two nights, 4-3 on Tuesday, then 3-2 on Wednesday when Angel Martinez tripled to bring in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning.
Detroit has lost five straight and 13 of its past 15 games. The offense has been the main culprit, producing just 20 runs over the past nine games.
Mize (2-2, 2.43 ERA) was sharp on Saturday as he came back from a three-week absence caused by a right adductor strain. The right-hander tossed six shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out four.
Unfortunately for Mize, he wound up with a no-decision in a game the Tigers lost 2-1 in 10 innings.
“I thought he pitched tremendously, coming off the injured list, getting right back into the competitive game,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I thought he held his stuff, I thought he had great tempo, I thought his stuff was good, he got some swing and miss, got some soft contact, everything you would want out of a normal start.”
The Tigers are still dealing with injuries to numerous staff members, including ace Tarik Skubal. Mize’s outing gave them a comforting feeling.
“It’s huge to have him back,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “He’s a big presence on this staff and a really good right-handed arm for us. So, yeah, really big.”
Mize produced a modest strikeout total, but he attributed that to the opponent.
“They don’t strike out a lot, they don’t walk a lot, they’re going to put the ball in play,” he said. “So just knowing that, there’s no need for long counts to try to get 10 strikeouts today. And I don’t think you’re going to walk anybody, honestly, just because of their approaches top to bottom. So I think it just kind of played out that way.
“We tried to get into the zone early just to play into their game plan, hopefully in our favor, and fortunately it worked out.”
Mize is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four career outings against the Guardians.
Left-hander Joey Cantillo (3-1, 3.40 ERA) will be Mize’s mound opponent. Cantillo had his best outing of the season on May 11 when he tossed six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels. In his latest start, against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Cantillo gave up four runs and four hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out four in a no-decision.
Cincinnati scored three runs in the fifth and went on to win 7-4.
“It just felt like Hedgie (catcher Austin Hedges) was reading really well when they were sitting soft and Joey was executing,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He earned the right to get through that inning and obviously gave us a chance to win.”
Cantillo has permitted one run in six innings during two career appearances (one start) against the Tigers.
The Guardians keep finding ways to win, as evidenced by the Wednesday game. Two hits, a sacrifice bunt and a groundout plated the tying run in the ninth inning, and Martinez and Jose Ramirez came up with RBI extra-base hits in the 10th.
Despite giving up an RBI hit to open the bottom of the 10th, Cam Smith held on for his 16th save.
“No matter how long we’ve been down, no matter how long we haven’t done anything, we can flip a switch at any point and put up some runs,” Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee said, according to MLB.com. “That’s the ‘down but never out’ aspect of it.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Carmen Mlodzinski gets plenty of support as Pirates shut out Cardinals
May 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski (50) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates got a home run from Spencer Horwitz as they emphatically snapped their four-game losing streak with a 7-0 win over the host St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3) threw five scoreless innings for Pittsburgh, which outhit the Cardinals 15-5. Four relievers completed the shutout. Rookie Konnor Griffin led the way for the Pirates offensively with a 4-for-5 night and three runs scored.
There was also a milestone moment for Pirates center fielder Jhostynxon Garcia, who recorded his first career RBI in the win. Garcia was making only his second start for Pittsburgh after being called up on Tuesday.
JJ Wetherholt went 2-for-4 at the top of the St. Louis order and Victor Scott II hit a double.
Mlodzinski worked around a single and a walk to strand two on base in the first inning. The Pirates struck first in the top of the second with Horwitz’s fourth home run of the season.
Pittsburgh mounted a two-out rally in the fourth to extend its lead. After Griffin reached on his first of two infield singles and Endy Rodriguez walked, Garcia’s RBI single doubled the Pirates’ advantage.
Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy (3-3) was chased after loading the bases without recording an out on three consecutive singles in the sixth. Justin Bruihl came on in relief and got out of the jam, but not without allowing Pittsburgh to add on with Nick Gonzales’ sacrifice fly.
McGreevy finished with three runs allowed in five-plus innings. The right-hander struggled to miss bats, allowing 10 hits and striking out only one hitter.
St. Louis also loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but Yohan Ramirez struck out Masyn Winn, and Jake Mangum made a sliding grab at the wall in right to rob Cesar Prieto of extra bases and keep the shutout intact.
The result was put beyond doubt when Pittsburgh put up four runs off Matt Svanson in the eighth. Mangum and Gonzales hit RBI singles before Bryan Reynolds blew open the inning with a two-run double.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Second-period surge leads Knights past Avalanche in West finals opener
May 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) scores past Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) during the second period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images DENVER — Dylan Coghlan and Pavel Dorofeyev scored 2:33 apart in the second period, Carter Hart made 36 saves, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday.
Brett Howton also had a goal and Nic Dowd scored into an empty net for Vegas, which grabbed home-ice advantage from the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night in Denver.
Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog scored while Scott Wedgewood turned away 24 shots for Colorado, which trails in a series for the first time in this postseason.
Vegas captain Mark Stone (lower-body injury) and Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) were scratched.
Both teams had chances in a scoreless first period. Keegan Kolesar nearly gave the Golden Knights the lead on a partial breakaway early on. Logan O’Connor hit the post for the Avalanche, and Hart made a save on Nazem Kadri in the waning seconds of the period.
Vegas finally broke through at 12:29 of the second period. Brandon Saad sent a pass to Coghlan in the slot, and Coghlan’s wrister beat Wedgewood through the pads for his first goal of the postseason.
Colorado’s Ross Colton took a roughing penalty less than two minutes later, and the Golden Knights took advantage. Mitch Marner stretched out with the puck and whipped a pass to Dorofeyev coming down the right side. Dorofeyev sent a one-timer to the short side past at 15:02, his 10th goal of the playoffs.
Vegas made it 3-0 early in the third after killing off a Colorado power play. Howden knocked down the rebound of Ben Hutton’s shot with his glove and tapped the puck by Wedgewood at 1:34.
The Avalanche answered at 5:53 when Nichushkin redirected Colton’s pass beyond Hart.
Wedgewood came off when Colorado went on the power play at 16:52, and Landeskog cut the deficit to one at 17:39.
The Avalanche pulled Wedgwood again, but Dowd sealed it into an empty net at 19:15.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ed Orgeron joins Lane Kiffin staff, reunites with LSU
Nov 27, 2021; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron looks on during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images LSU reached an agreement with Ed Orgeron on Wednesday to join Lane Kiffin’s current staff in Baton Rouge, reuniting the school with its former head football coach.
Orgeron, 64, will be serving as a special assistant to recruiting and defense, per the school’s social media.
The 2019 national championship-winning coach spent five seasons as the head man for LSU and was a popular figure as a Louisiana native who won 51 games and went 4-1 in bowl games.
Eventually, the wins stopped coming and Orgeron was run out following back-to-back .500 seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Before that, he guided the Tigers to one of their greatest seasons in history, helming a dominant team headlined by Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase to a 15-0 record and two dominant wins in the playoffs.
Kiffin, LSU’s new head coach, was Orgeron’s boss at previous stops at Tennessee (2009) and USC (2010-13). Orgeron ultimately succeeded Kiffin at USC, becoming the interim coach to close out the 2013 season. The two previously coached together as assistant coaches at USC from 2001-04.
Orgeron also preceded Kiffin as the head coach at Ole Miss, going 10-25 there from 2005-07.
Kiffin closed his Ole Miss tenure 55-19, with a playoff berth last season.
–Field Level Media
Carmen Mlodzinski gets plenty of support as Pirates shut out Cardinals
Second-period surge leads Knights past Avalanche in West finals opener
