Sports
Tigers, Orioles eager to ignite struggling offenses in opener
Detroit Tigers center fielder Matt Vierling (8) walks off the filed after struck out against Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles will look to get their seasons untracked when they meet Friday night in Baltimore.
It’s the beginning of a 10-game homestand for the Orioles, who just finished a 1-5 road trip.
“We’ve shown that we can play with anyone,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said. “We just have to allow ourselves to play with anyone. Whether it be on the pitching side, defensively, offensively. We just have to get everything clicking at once.”
The Orioles were swept in three games vs. Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Monday through Wednesday. They failed to protect a two-run lead in the eighth inning of their most recent game, a 5-3 setback to the Rays.
Albernaz called that situation “a big-time gut punch.”
Detroit, meanwhile, is in the midst of a six-game losing streak and has gone seven games in a row without scoring more than three runs.
The Tigers are coming off a 1-6 homestand that included two defeats in 10-inning games. They fell 3-1 to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday afternoon.
“We’re wearing it,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said.
The Tigers are 11 games below .500 for the first time since 2023. Detroit players insist they’re united despite the on-field woes.
“We all got to stick together, you know,” Casey Mize said. “And we are, in my opinion.”
But it’s not necessarily a happy clubhouse.
“We’re just frustrated. We’re trying. We’re doing everything we can,” outfielder Matt Vierling told The Detroit News. “We expected to be better than this, and we’re just overall frustrated. All we can do is show up tomorrow and try to win a ballgame.”
Baltimore has been held to three or fewer runs in 10 of its last 13 games. Albernaz said the Orioles have looked passive on the base paths at times.
“That’s when we lose some opportunities out there,” he said. “(We need to be) aggressive on the bases. When we’re pushing the envelope on the bases, that’s when good things happen for us.”
Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso has begun to show a power stroke, raising his home run total to nine. Five homers have been opposite-field shots.
Baltimore infielder Jackson Holliday played third base for the first time in the major leagues for one inning Wednesday. But he could bounce around the infield based on his workload in the minor leagues while on injury rehabilitation assignments.
Right-hander Chris Bassitt (3-3, 5.44 ERA) will head to the mound on Friday for Baltimore, coming off a five-inning stint in which he gave up four runs and took the loss Saturday at Washington in a 13-3 outcome. He has won in his last two starts at home.
Bassitt is 4-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 10 career starts vs. the Tigers.
Detroit right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-5, 5.77 ERA), who’ll start the series opener, has lost three consecutive starts, including Sunday vs. Toronto when he allowed four runs in six innings in a 4-1 setback. Flaherty has averaged more than one strikeout per inning this season (48 in 43 2/3 innings).
Flaherty, who pitched part of the 2023 season for the Orioles, has faced Baltimore only once. He lost in that 2024 game, giving up three runs in six innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rays OF Jonny DeLuca (hamstring) placed on 10-day IL
May 20, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Jonny DeLuca (21) makes a diving catch against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Tampa Bay Rays placed outfielder Jonny DeLuca on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a right hamstring strain.
The move is retroactive to Saturday.
DeLuca felt a tug at his hamstring while legging out an infield single in the seventh inning of Tampa Bay’s 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.
DeLuca is batting .269 with two homers and 19 RBIs in 41 games this season. The 27-year-old is hitting .244 with 10 homers and 60 RBIs in 192 career games with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Rays.
Also on Sunday, the Rays recalled outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. from Triple-A Durham.
Mesa, 24, batted .188 with one homer and six RBIs in 16 games last season with the Miami Marlins. He is hitting .350 with three homers and nine RBIs in 21 games across two levels of minor-league baseball this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jannik Sinner begins French Open quest as odds-on favorite
Mar 29, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy hits a backhand against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic after beating him in the final of the men’s singles at the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images The French Open is the lone Grand Slam that has eluded world No. 1 Jannik Sinner to date. Play also began at Roland Garros on Sunday with Sinner as the heaviest pre-tournament favorite since Rafael Nadal in 2009.
That’s in large part due to Nadal’s countryman and two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz being forced to sit out this French Open out due to a wrist injury.
The cards are stacked heavily in Sinner’s favor. The four-time Grand Slam champion entered his opening match against wild-card entry Clement Tabur riding a 29-match winning streak. He also has a 17-0 record on clay in 2026.
The draw also stacks up favorably, with Novak Djokovic on the other side along with two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud of Norway. One notable potential hurdle is Russian Daniil Medvedev, but Sinner has won 10 of their past 11 meetings.
It all leads to Sinner beginning the tournament as the -325 favorite at BetMGM to win the men’s title. The next-closest competitor is German Alexander Zverev at +900, followed by Djokovic at +1100 and Ruud at +2000.
DraftKings has even shorter odds on Sinner at -340, followed by Zverev (+1100), Djokovic (+1300) and Ruud (+2200).
Nadal entered the 2009 French Open as the -400 favorite. While he had shorter pre-tournament odds, Sinner is the most overwhelming favorite in modern tennis history when compared to his next closest challengers.
Sinner, still only 24 years old, is a two-time Australian Open champion who also won the U.S. Open in 2024. He will be the defending champion at Wimbledon this year.
The women’s draw features far more depth, at least in the eyes of sportsbooks.
Aryna Sabalenka is the +275 title favorite at BetMGM, followed by Elena Rybakina (+300), Iga Swiatek (+400), Coco Gauff (+600) and Amanda Anisimova (+800).
Sabalenka and Swiatek opened play at Roland Garros as the co-+275 favorites at DraftKings. Gauff was next at +600, followed by Rybakina (+650) and Mirra Andreeva (+900). The book had far longer odds on Anisimova at +4000, making her tied for just the 10th-shortest odds.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Thunder vs. Spurs Game 4 Picks: Best Bets for WCF Sunday
May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can steer the defending champions to a commander 3-1 series lead in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday night.
SGA was clutch in Friday’s 123-108 win over the Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals and has left San Antonio confounded over possible solutions to slow him down.
If they send a double team, SGA has consistently found open shooters and points.
With Ajay Mitchell out of the lineup again, he’ll have the ball in his hands constantly. Can the Spurs adjust or is this series all but over?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 7+ assists (-120)
Gilgeous-Alexander has 33 assists with just seven turnovers and he’s getting more out of players the Spurs aren’t necessarily afraid of. Oklahoma City’s bench has outscored San Antonio’s 183-64, with Alex Caruso averaging 21 points and Jared McCain 14.3.
De’Aaron Fox played in Game 3 Friday and Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Saturday he expected Dylan Harper to play Game 4. But if neither is full strength, the Thunder will find and expose their weaknesses.
Oklahoma City continues to thrive with the ball in SGA’s hands.
Our Current Best Offers
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Over 218.5 total points
The over remains a market lean. DraftKings stuck at 218.5 while FanDuel has vascilllated between 218.5 and 219.5. We like the number anywhere under 220.
All three games in the series have finished above that range despite stretches of uneven shooting. If the pace stays elevated and Oklahoma City’s bench keeps creating transition chances, the total will stay in focus.
Oklahoma City Thunder +2.5
Books are giving the Spurs the edge in San Antonio. The line remains tight enough to watch pregame.
Oklahoma City has won the last two games, owned the bench-production battle and a healthy De’Aaron Fox or Dylan Harper could quickly shift the advantage. But the Thunder proved last postseason the road isn’t a place they fear.
Our Current Best Offers
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Rays OF Jonny DeLuca (hamstring) placed on 10-day IL
Jannik Sinner begins French Open quest as odds-on favorite
