Sports
Rangers eager to keep offense rolling vs. reeling Royals
May 29, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo (24) and third baseman Josh Jung (6) celebrate after Nimmo hits a two run home run against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images In a matchup of struggling offenses, the Texas Rangers broke out at the plate Friday to build some needed confidence and potential momentum.
Following one of their most dominant performances of the season, the Rangers will try to hand the visiting Kansas City Royals a fifth straight defeat when the teams meet Saturday afternoon at Arlington, Texas.
Texas had totaled 23 runs while losing six of its previous seven contests before rolling to a 9-1 victory over Kansas City in Friday’s series opener. Five games under .500, the Rangers haven’t won two games in a row since May 19-20.
“I think that with a good stretch of baseball, we could put ourselves in a very good position,” Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young told the team’s official website.
While MacKenzie Gore allowed four hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings Friday, Ezequiel Duran’s two-run single highlighted a four-run first inning that essentially put the game away.
Brandon Nimmo and Nicky Lopez each hit a two-run homer, and Joc Pederson also went deep for the Rangers, who posted 10 hits to match their total from losing the previous two games.
“Keep fighting,” Duran told the Rangers Sports Network. “Try to win the game.”
Duran, stepping in at shortstop while star Corey Seager remains out with a lower-back injury, is 6-for-14 with four RBIs in the last four games. Pederson, meanwhile, has hit four of his seven home runs this season in the last four contests.
Pederson is just 2-for-19 in his career against Saturday’s scheduled Kansas City starter, right-hander Seth Lugo (2-4, 3.74 ERA), but one of those hits was a home run.
Lugo, who is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA in three career appearances vs. Texas, was strong in his only two previous starts against Rangers. In 12 1/3 combined innings in those outings last season, the veteran allowed three runs and six hits while striking out 14.
Now, Lugo will eye a third straight quality start after he yielded three runs over 6 1/3 innings in an 8-6 victory against Seattle on Sunday to earn his first winning decision since his season debut.
However, if Lugo is to have a chance at another win, his Royals teammates must find a way to score.
A loser in 14 of its last 17 games, Kansas City has only five runs during its four-game skid. It also hasn’t helped that the Royals have allowed 31 runs and 42 hits, including 10 homers, in the last three games.
“There’s frustration,” Royals star Salvador Perez told the club’s official website. “We need to prove that we’re better. We need to figure it out. We’ve got to win some games.”
Kansas City’s Maikel Garcia had two hits Friday and is 10-for-28 in the last seven games. However, teammate and Dallas-area native Bobby Witt Jr. is 0-for-8 in the last two games and is batting .191 over the last 12.
The Royals will get their first look at scheduled Rangers starter Kumar Rocker (2-5, 3.96 ERA) on Saturday.
After throwing 12 2/3 scoreless innings in his previous two outings, the right-hander gave up four runs, four hits and three walks in five innings of Monday’s 9-0 loss to Houston.
–Field Level Media
Sports
White Sox await diagnosis on Munetaka Murakami (hamstring)
May 26, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the eight inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami, removed in the third inning of Chicago’s game against the Detroit Tigers on Friday after tweaking his right hamstring, will undergo imaging on Saturday.
The 26-year-old rookie, who shares the American League homer lead with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, each with 20, grabbed at his hamstring after hustling down the first base line to avoid a 4-6-3 double play.
Murakami walked slowly back to the dugout without needing assistance.
After the White Sox’s 4-3, 10-inning win, Chicago manager Will Venable said, “Looks like a little hamstring strain on the initial evaluation. He’ll get some imaging tomorrow, but probably a couple weeks (on the injured list is the expectation). Nothing official, got to continue the evaluation. But it might be a couple weeks.”
Luisangel Acuna ran for Murakami and scored on Miguel Vargas’ double. In the top of the fourth, Vargas moved from third to first, Acuna took over at short and Colson Montgomery slid from short to third. Montgomery stayed in the game despite tweaking his lower back while popping out to close the third inning.
Murakami has been a revelation for a White Sox squad that sits in second place in the American League Central. The first baseman has appeared in all 57 games and delivered a .240/.378/.560 slash line with 41 RBIs and 44 walks.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals sock 3 homers, dump Cubs to end 4-game skid
May 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Nelson Velazquez (38) celebrates with right fielder Jordan Walker (18) after hitting a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Ivan Herrera belted a go-ahead solo homer in the fifth inning, fueling the host St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
St. Louis’ Nelson Velazquez celebrated his call-up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday by launching a three-run homer in the first inning.
Thomas Saggese crushed a solo shot in the fourth inning and Jose Fermin had an RBI single in the eighth for the Cardinals, who snapped a season-high-tying four-game losing streak. They also lost four in a row from April 22-26.
St. Louis used seven pitchers to subdue Chicago, with Gordon Graceffo (4-1) retiring the side in order in the fifth during his lone inning.
Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the ninth with a double and came around to score following a pair of outs. Riley O’Brien induced Alex Bregman to ground out to secure his 14th save of the season.
Chicago’s Ian Happ went deep for the third straight game, belting a three-run homer in the first inning.
Michael Busch had an RBI single and joined Seiya Suzuki with three hits for the Cubs, who have lost 11 of their past 13 games.
Shota Imanaga (4-6) surrendered three homers in his second consecutive outing. He lost his fourth straight start after permitting five runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Saggese forged a 4-4 tie after depositing a 2-2 fastball from Imanaga over the wall in left-center field for his first homer of the season. The Cardinals claimed their first lead in the fifth inning when Herrera sent a 0-1 splitter from Imanaga 409 feet to left-center.
In the opening inning, Busch and Bregman each had a two-out single to center field before Happ deposited an 0-1 fastball from Andre Pallante over the wall in right-center. The homer was Happ’s team-leading 13th of the season.
Velazquez erased Chicago’s early 3-0 lead by sending a first-pitch fastball from Imanaga 411 feet to left-center with two on in the bottom of the first.
Dansby Swanson regained the advantage for the Cubs in the second inning. He singled and stole second before coming around to score on Busch’s single to left field.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' MJ Melendez beats Marlins with 10th-inning homer
May 29, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos (27) reacts to hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images MJ Melendez hit the first walk-off homer of his career in the 10th inning Friday night, when the New York Mets squandered a four-run lead before outlasting the visiting Miami Marlins 9-7 in the opener of a three-game series between the National League East foes.
Pete Fairbanks (2-3) retired Juan Soto on a flyout to center before Melendez, who lofted a sacrifice fly as a pinch-hitter for Jared Young in the seventh, hit a long arcing homer into the second deck in right field.
The hit was just the sixth in 46 at-bats this month for Melendez, who stared at the home dugout and spiked his bat after his homer landed.
Austin Warren (1-1) threw a perfect 10th inning to strand automatic runner Jakob Marsee at third.
The win was the second straight for the Mets following a six-game losing streak. The Marlins have dropped three in a row.
A.J. Ewing and Brett Baty had two-run singles in the first for the Mets, who took four-run leads at 5-1 on Mark Vientos’ homer in the third and at 6-2 when Marcus Semien scored on a throwing error by Marlins catcher Joe Mack in the fourth.
Ewing finished with two hits, two RBIs and a run scored.
Owen Caissie hit a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth for the Marlins. Xavier Edwards began the comeback with a third-inning RBI triple and Marsee had an RBI double in the fourth. Miami scored twice in the fifth, when Mark Vientos misplayed Otto Lopez’s grounder as Mack scored before Lopez raced home on Kyle Stowers’ double.
Lopez had a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Stowers finished with three hits while Edwards, Marsee and Caissie had two hits apiece.
Mets starter Freddy Peralta allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out five over 4 2/3 innings. The Marlins’ Max Meyer gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings.
–Field Level Media
White Sox await diagnosis on Munetaka Murakami (hamstring)
Cardinals sock 3 homers, dump Cubs to end 4-game skid
