Sports
Suddenly surging Jays look to finish off sweep of Pirates
Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images The host Toronto Blue Jays will send out Dylan Cease Sunday afternoon as they go for a three-game sweep of the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Blue Jays have won a season-best four straight, including the first two of a three-game series with the Pirates after a 5-2 victory on Saturday. Toronto left-hander Patrick Corbin allowed one run in six innings and struck out a season-best seven.
The Pirates have lost six of eight and their ace, Paul Skenes, allowed four runs and a career-high nine hits in taking the loss on Saturday. Skenes has allowed nine runs (five against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 17) over his past two starts and his ERA has jumped from 1.98 to 3.00.
“I wasn’t super unhappy with some of the execution on some of the pitches, but could have executed a number of them better,” Skenes said. “I’ll have to re-watch it again, but yeah, I think, probably similar to last week, probably not as bad as the line would suggest.”
Cease (3-2, 2.98 ERA) is coming off a May 19 road loss to the New York Yankees, who tagged him for five runs in five innings. He struck out nine but walked four.
“You walk guys, you fall behind, you’re probably not going to win,” Cease said. “When I’m in the zone, I like where I’m at. Didn’t do a good job of it today.”
Cease is 1-1 with a 3.54 ERA in five career starts against the Pirates. In two starts against them last season, he was 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA.
The Pirates are scheduled to start right-hander Mitch Keller (4-2, 3.86), who is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in two career starts against the Blue Jays.
Toronto designated hitter George Springer appears to have overcome his early-season struggles. He led off the bottom of the first with his fifth homer of the season and his third of the week on Saturday. He has 65 career leadoff homers. He also had a double on Saturday.
Springer is on a six-game hit streak, batting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles, three homers and five RBIs.
“He’s trending in the right direction,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He’s taking some good swings this past week. It’s good to get him rolling a little bit.”
The Blue Jays have won seven of their past 10.
“I think our last 15, 16 games have been great,” Springer said. “Guys are starting to settle in and play to their strengths.”
Ernie Clement is one of those surging players. He was 1-for-4 with an RBI single on Saturday. In his past 14 games, he is hitting .362/.400/.574 with four doubles, two homers and seven RBIs.
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds was 2-for-3 with a walk Saturday, becoming the 34th player to reach the 1,000-game plateau as a Pirate.
Former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz was 1-for-3 and was hit by a pitch Saturday. The Pirates first baseman has played 18 games in May, and is batting .310 (18-for-58) with five doubles, one triple, one homer and 12 RBIs.
Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected during the sixth inning of the loss. The Pirates felt that Jesus Sanchez had struck out on a checked swing before eventually hitting an RBI double in the three-run inning.
“We’re in a big moment right there,” Kelly said. “I thought Sanchez had check swung and went, for sure, at that ball. I just felt like it was a big moment. Obviously, I didn’t agree with the call.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Evander has hand in 5 goals as Cincinnati hammers Orlando City
May 23, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati midfielder Pavel Bucha (20) kicks the ball against Orlando City SC in the first half at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Evander scored two goals and assisted on three others, including Kenji Mboma Dem’s eventual match-winner in the 52nd minute, sending FC Cincinnati into the World Cup break with a 6-2 rout of visiting Orlando City on Saturday evening.
Despite allowing a brace to Orlando’s Martin Ojeda, Cincinnati (5-5-5, 20 points) snapped a 0-1-2 slump in resounding fashion, winning for the first time since May 2.
Orlando (4-9-2, 14 points) saw its three-match unbeaten streak across all competitions (2-0-1) come to an end.
Cincinnati, which entered Saturday with the most goals scored in MLS (30), dominated an Orlando defense that had conceded a league-worst 38 times.
With the match tied at 2-2, Mboma Dem put Cincinnati ahead for good in the 52nd minute with his second goal of the night and fourth of the season. He rushed into the box and struck Evander’s pass first-time into the net to put Cincinnati ahead 3-2.
In the 58th minute, Evander completed his own double with his ninth goal of the season, confidently striding to the top of the box and lacing a low, driven effort past Orlando goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau to make it 4-2.
Kevin Denkey made it 5-2 in the 77th minute, bringing his season total to nine goals thanks to Evander’s third assist of the evening.
Tom Barlow capped the scoring in the first minute of second-half stoppage time with his fifth goal of the season.
After Ojeda opened the scoring for Orlando in the 16th minute, Cincinnati pulled ahead with two goals late in the period. Mboma Dem’s header past Crepeau off Evander’s corner kick tied the match at 1-1 in the 42nd minute. Evander then put Cincinnati ahead 2-1 in the third minute of first-half stoppage time off an assist from Pavel Bucha.
Cincinnati’s six goals were its most in an MLS regular-season match since a 6-1 win over Inter Miami on July 6, 2024. Orlando allowed six goals in a match for the second time this season, most recently in a 6-0 loss at Los Angeles FC on April 4.
Evander now has seven goals and five assists in his last five matches.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo battle to 1-1 draw entering World Cup break
May 23, 2026; Carson, California, USA; Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz (19) moves the ball while pressured by LA Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil (28) and midfielder Justin Haak (15) during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images Guilherme Santos scored the tying goal in the 41st minute and Jonathan Bond recorded five saves as the visiting Houston Dynamo earned a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy on Saturday in a Western Conference dustup in Carson, Calif.
It was the final game for both teams before MLS’s two-month World Cup break. The draw was the first this season for the Dynamo (7-6-1, 22 points), who head to the break two points clear of the Galaxy (5-5-5, 20 points) in the West standings.
Houston has earned points in four of its past five league matches (3-1-1). Los Angeles is 3-1-2 in its past six MLS contests.
The Galaxy were the aggressor in the early minutes of the match, as Erik Thommy and then Joseph Paintsil tested Bond with shots on target in the 14th and 17th minute, respectively.
Paintsil broke through in the 30th minute, making short work of a scoring play that started when Edwin Cerrillo passed to the right side of the box to Miki Yamane. Yamane worked hard to center the ball but it bounced through traffic in front of the goal before Paintsil ripped a right-footed shot past Bond and into the top-left corner of the net for a 1-0 Los Angeles lead.
Guilherme had an excellent chance to produce the equalizer for the Dynamo five minutes later but missed over the crossbar from short range.
Guilherme made the most of his next opportunity, taking a pass from Jack McGlynn outside the top of the box and hitting a curving shot past Galaxy keeper JT Marcinkowski (three saves) into the bottom-right corner. Antonio Carlos was credited with a secondary assist on that tying tally.
The second half was full of unrealized scoring chances.
Marcinkowski kept the match knotted with a stop on a low-percentage shot by McGlynn in the 56th minute. He then stopped shots from Mateusz Bogusz in the 70th minute and Jose Artur in the 73rd to quell Houston scoring chances.
Cerrillo, Matheus Nascimento and Gabriel Pec had shots on target in the final 15 minutes for the Galaxy, but Bond rose to the task to save each of them and allow the Dynamo to split the points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ketel Marte leads Diamondbacks past Rockies
May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) watches after hitting a two run home run against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) during the fourth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images Ketel Marte went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night at Phoenix.
Nolan Arenado had a two-run double and Geraldo Perdomo contributed two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Ryan Waldschmidt had two hits and scored once as Arizona improved to 2-1 in the four-game set that concludes Sunday.
TJ Rumfield went 3-for-4 with a homer for the Rockies, who lost for the 10th time in 14 games. Troy Johnston had two hits and an RBI and Hunter Goodman also had two hits for Colorado.
Arizona’s Paul Sewald recorded two outs on fly balls in the ninth before striking out Goodman for his 12th save in 13 opportunities.
Arizona’s Zac Gallen (3-4) gave up three runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
Colorado’s Michael Lorenzen (2-7) was touched up for five runs and eight hits over five innings. He fanned five and issued one walk.
The Rockies pulled within 5-4 when Rumfield smacked a 2-0 sinker from Brandon Pfaadt over the wall in left-center field leading off the eighth.
Tyler Freeman followed with a single and Pfaadt was replaced by Kevin Ginkel. Johnston walked but Colorado’s threat took a big hit when Ezequiel Tovar’s sacrifice bunt attempt was fielded by Ildemaro Vargas and the first baseman’s throw forced Freeman at third.
Sterlin Thompson grounded out to move the runners to second and third before Ginkel retired Chad Stevens on a fly to center.
Arizona jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Perdomo and the two-run double by Arenado.
The Rockies loaded the bases with none out in the fourth. Johnson’s single plated one run and Tovar’s fielder’s choice drove in another.
In the bottom of the fourth, Tim Tawa was on first with two out when Marte slammed a first-pitch fastball 424 feet over the fence in right to give the Diamondbacks a 5-2 lead.
Colorado pushed across a run in the sixth as Johnston singled, stole second, moved to third on Tovar’s grounder and scored on Thompson’s grounder.
–Field Level Media
Evander has hand in 5 goals as Cincinnati hammers Orlando City
LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo battle to 1-1 draw entering World Cup break
