Sports
Orioles look to address fundamentals as series with Jays continues
May 27, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) gets picked off by Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) during the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images The Baltimore Orioles have had games without many baserunners, so they need to be particularly careful when they do get scoring chances.
That’s one of the messages from manager Craig Albernaz going into Baltimore’s Friday night home game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The contest will be the second of seven meetings between the American League East rivals across an 11-day span. The Blue Jays claimed the first 2026 matchup of the teams on Thursday, winning 2-1.
The Orioles had a runner picked off base for the 10th time this season when first baseman Pete Alonso was nailed by catcher Brandon Valenzuela to end the eighth inning.
“It’s something that we’ve got to be on top of and be conscious of, especially with the way Valenzuela can throw and likes the back pick,” Albernaz said.
For a Baltimore team that hasn’t exactly solved many of its offensive woes, such mishaps on the bases become magnified.
“It’s really tough to kind of take ourselves out of the inning like that, from just playing too far over my skis, so to speak,” Alonso said. “I feel awful.”
The Orioles have been held to one run in three of their last four defeats, though they had won three consecutive games and five out of six before Thursday.
The Blue Jays have won three games in a row and seven of their past nine.
Baltimore will give the ball on Friday to left-hander Trevor Rogers (2-6, 6.96 ERA), who lost each of his past six starts and failed to reach the five-inning level in each of his past four outings. Rogers has faced the Blue Jays three times in his career, going 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings.
The Blue Jays hadn’t announced a starting pitcher for Friday. This was the spot in the rotation held by Dylan Cease, but he was placed on the injured list after his most recent start on Sunday.
Toronto’s cast of potential starters is headlined by minor-leaguers Chad Dallas and CJ Van Eyk, though the Blue Jays might opt for journeyman Austin Voth.
Both teams are introducing young players to the big leagues during the series.
The Blue Jays put infielder Lenyn Sosa on the injury list, so they might have infielder Charles McAdoo in the lineup on Friday for his major league debut. He was added to the roster prior to the series opener.
Manager John Schneider said McAdoo could play just about any infield position, but his bat might be his biggest asset at the moment.
“He can run, but I think (he’s) just putting together a pretty good offensive year,” Schneider said. “(We’ll) take a look at it, for sure.”
Baltimore altered its bullpen in advance of the series, and one of the results was right-hander Cameron Weston making his major league debut by pitching a scoreless ninth inning on Thursday.
“That was fun to see him go out there and do this thing and especially the first strikeout,” Albernaz said. “He looked great, pounded the strike zone, sweeper looked great and the split, too.”
By using Weston, Albernaz protected the availability of others in the bullpen so they will be ready to go on Friday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Arizona F Koa Peat remains in draft as 38 early entrants withdraw
Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) is defended by Michigan Wolverines guard Nimari Burnett (4) and Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Forward Koa Peat, a projected first-round pick, will remain in the 2026 NBA Draft and will not return to Arizona for his sophomore season.
Peat’s decision was one of the handful still unknown before the NBA on Thursday released a list of 38 early-entry candidates who withdrew from the draft pool.
The 6-foot-8 Peat, who admitted he struggled at the NBA Draft Combine, averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists while helping to lead the Wildcats to the Big 12 regular-season and conference titles.
The Arizona native raised his game during the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.2 points and 7.6 boards in five games as the Wildcats advanced to the Final Four before falling to Michigan.
While Peat heads to the pros, many of the early-entry candidates that withdrew will change uniforms in the college ranks as they entered the transfer portal at the same time as testing the draft waters.
Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic may be the single most sought-after player in the group, with recent reports naming Arizona, Kentucky, Louisville and St. John’s as his suitors. Ex-Kansas big man Flory Bidunga is already committed to Louisville, as is Southern California 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dynes.
Earlier this week, Billy Richmond III reportedly changed course at the last minute and chose to return for another year at Arkansas.
And most recently, Baylor guard Tounde Yessoufou withdrew from the draft Thursday and announced his commitment to St. John’s. A five-star recruit last year, Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Bears as a freshman.
The list included three international players taking their names out of consideration: Bassala Bagayoko (Bilbao, Spain), Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada (Nancy, France) and Alexandros Samodurov (Panathinaikos, Greece). North Carolina is reported to have interest in Samodurov, a power forward.
Players withdrawing from draft (with 2025-26 school):
Matt Able, North Carolina State
Amari Allen, Alabama
Alijah Arenas, USC
Flory Bidunga, Kansas
Finley Bizjack, Butler
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
Shane Blakeney, Drexel
Anton Bonke, Charlotte
Rowan Brumbaugh, Tulane
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
Rueben Chinyelu, Florida
Jacob Cofie, USC
Cruz Davis, Hofstra
Kennard Davis Jr., BYU
Keanu Dawes, Utah
Gabe Dynes, USC
Eian Elmer, Miami (Ohio)
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Colby Garland, San Jose State
Juke Harris, Wake Forest
Isiah Harwell, Houston
Lou Hutchinson, Alabama A&M
Acaden Lewis, Villanova
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
Malachi Moreno, Kentucky
Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary’s
Dennis Parker Jr., Radford
Sebastian Rancik, Colorado
Billy Richmond III, Arkansas
Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt
Aiden Tobiason, Temple
LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech
Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ian Happ, Cubs down Paul Skenes, Pirates for series split
May 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (right) tags Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) out at second base attempting to stretch a single during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Ian Happ continued to shine in his hometown, collecting three hits, including a two-run homer, as the Chicago Cubs beat the host Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2 on Thursday to split a four-game series.
Happ, a Pittsburgh native who grew up in the suburbs, reached base for the 41st consecutive game at Pittsburgh. In final two games of the series, he homered in each contest and drove in eight runs.
Happ’s 12th long ball of the season highlighted Chicago’s three-run eighth inning. Seiya Suzuki had two hits and two RBIs for the Cubs, who have won back-to-back games after losing 10 in a row.
Chicago starter Colin Rea (5-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
It was a frustrating night for Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes (6-5), who lost his third consecutive start, the first time that has happened in his career.
Skenes struck out 10 and induced 20 swing-and-misses in 5 1/3 innings. However, some defensive miscues, including one of his own, contributed to the three runs the Cubs scored against him. Skenes was charged with only one earned run. He walked three and allowed four hits.
Skenes tried to make a defensive play that ended up costing him in the fourth inning. With a runner on first and two outs, he attempted to barehand a grounder up the middle by Happ and couldn’t come up with it in time to throw to first. Suzuki then hit a flare into short left-center for a single to score Michael Busch, who reached on a walk, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead.
Two errors led to Skenes’ exit in the sixth. With one out and Busch on first following another walk, Skenes induced a grounder to third by Alex Bregman. Tyler Callihan one-hopped the throw to first, allowing Bregman to reach. Callihan, who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, replaced Nick Gonzales at third base in the third inning after Gonzales came out because of left knee discomfort.
Happ then hit a chopper near second base. Shortstop Jared Triolo fielded the ball and bounced his throw past first base, allowing Busch to score. Mason Montgomery took over on the mound, and the Cubs added a third run on a fielder’s-choice grounder by Suzuki.
Bryan Reynolds smacked his fifth home run of the season and led the Pirates with two hits. Pittsburgh has lost two in a row after winning three straight.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou withdraws from draft, heads to St. John's
Mar 7, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) scores a layup against Utah Utes forward James Okonkwo (32) during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images St. John’s landed a commitment from Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou on Thursday, a day after he removed his name from NBA draft consideration ahead of Wednesday’s 11:59 p.m. deadline.
Yessoufou was immediately impactful as a freshman for the Bears, finishing second on the team with 17.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He averaged a team-high 2.0 steals per game, which ranked third in the Big 12.
It’s a major boost for St. John’s entering Rick Pitino’s fourth season as head coach. The Red Storm are coming off a Sweet 16 appearance this past season, the program’s first since the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
“Super excited for the addition of Tounde,” Pitino said on his X account. “We will add one more scholarship player in the next 24 hours and (our) roster will be complete. Couldn’t be more fired up for this upcoming season!”
One potential player Pitino could be alluding to is Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic. St. John’s is one of four reported finalists to land his commitment after he shot a nation-leading 48.7% from 3-point range last season and also withdrew from the NBA draft this week.
–Field Level Media
Arizona F Koa Peat remains in draft as 38 early entrants withdraw
Ian Happ, Cubs down Paul Skenes, Pirates for series split
