Sports
D-backs building steam entering series vs. streaking Twins
Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) and Ketel Marte (L) celebrate a Carroll grand-slam against the Angels during a game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. on June 17, 2026. Thanks to Corbin Carroll, the Arizona Diamondbacks enter the weekend feeling better about their season.
Carroll helped the Diamondbacks enjoy a rare day off at home before they open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night in Phoenix.
Carroll hit a grand slam in the second inning Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, providing the lead for good in an 8-1 victory.
“The dugout felt an immediate sigh of relief,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It took the air out of some very tense moments and games over the past 12-14 days.”
Following a 3-10 stretch, Arizona has won the rubber match in the past two series. Now, the Diamondbacks will try to get off to a good start against Minnesota with their hottest pitcher, right-hander Michael Soroka, starting on the mound.
Soroka (8-3, 3.11 ERA) earned his eighth win on June 7 after holding the Washington Nationals to one run and three hits over seven innings of a 5-1 victory.
Six days later, he limited the Cincinnati Reds to one run and two hits over seven innings but did not receive a decision in his team’s 2-1 loss.
He walked two batters against the Nationals but didn’t issue any free passes against the Reds.
“When you feel like the hitter might not know what’s coming, I feel a little bit more comfortable throwing balls completely over the plate,” Soroka said. “Last year (when he went 3-8), I think I ran into struggles, because I didn’t have those extra pitches. And second, third time around, these guys were seeing the same two [pitches], four-seam, curveball, over and over again.”
Lovullo has been impressed with Soroka’s run, which included a 3-1 mark with a 1.78 ERA in five starts in May.
“We can depend on him to go out there and do the things he did, but I want to emphasize, we’re not one of 26, we’re 26 of 26, and it takes a team effort,” Lovullo said.
Soroka has made four appearances (three starts) against the Twins in his career, going 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA.
The Twins beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Thursday afternoon for their fourth straight win. They can establish their longest winning streak of the season with a victory against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Minnesota plans to start rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-4, 5.26 ERA) but will keep a close eye on its 2022 second-round draft pick.
Prielipp has made 10 starts this year, building his pitch count and innings along the way.
“We will definitely have to monitor the volume regardless of if it’s within starts or throughout the year,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said after his start on June 7 against the Kansas City Royals. “I don’t think we’re at the point in the year where we will determine, or we have determined where we’re at with that yet.”
Prielipp dealt a season-high 98 pitches in his next outing against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals last Saturday. He was tagged for four runs and seven hits over six innings in a 9-6 loss in which he didn’t factor into the decision.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve pitched this long besides last year, and my body’s felt fine this whole year,” Prielipp, 25, said after his start against the Royals. “These last two years have been really big for my development, and I feel like I’m getting better and better every outing.”
Prielipp will face the Diamondbacks for the first time in his career.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Big 12 keeps Brendan Sorsby lawsuit active amid draft questions
Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby goes through warmups before the spring football game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Big 12 is not ready to close the book on the Brendan Sorsby case, even after the Texas Tech quarterback moved to leave college football behind.
The conference’s presidents and chancellors have not withdrawn the federal lawsuit filed earlier this week, with lingering questions about Sorsby’s NFL future and whether Texas Tech could still face consequences from the legal fight, a Big 12 source told ESPN. The league’s board of directors is expected to meet early next week to discuss its options.
“We don’t know the answer to those questions,” the source said. “We haven’t done anything different at this point. We’re going to reconvene next week to run through all the options. Right now that case is still active.”
The Big 12 filed suit Monday in the Northern District of Texas, looking for a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief that would allow the conference to use its bylaws to potentially discipline Sorsby. Hours later, Sorsby moved toward the NFL supplemental draft and dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA, a step needed for him to be declared ineligible in college by Monday’s deadline.
Sorsby admitted to violating NCAA rules by placing thousands of bets, including 40 on Indiana football while he was on the Hoosiers’ roster. The NFL still has to approve his application for the supplemental draft, which has not produced a selected player since 2019.
The Big 12 could also revisit whether Texas Tech should be responsible for the costs associated with the dispute. One Big 12 athletic director said the issue is less about punishment and more about whether the entire league should absorb legal fees from a case that other schools did not start..
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brazil's Raphinha (leg) departs match vs. Haiti
June 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.; Brazil’s Raphinha in action with Haiti’s Martin Experience. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — Brazil attacker Raphinha departed in the 40th minute of Friday night’s World Cup Group C clash against Haiti in Philadelphia with an apparent leg injury.
The 29-year-old FC Barcelona winger was making his second start of the tournament for manager Carlo Ancelotti after going the full 90 in a 1-1 draw against Morocco last Saturday.
He was a critical part of Brazil’s most recent qualifying effort, scoring five of the Selecao’s 24 goals while appearing in 13 of their 18 matches.
It was unclear what caused him to drop to his haunches shortly before halftime and eventually exit in favor of Rayan. He departed with his side leading 2-0 through Matheus Cunha’s brace, before Vinicius Junior added a third in first-half stoppage time.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
Sports
UFC Freedom 250 Falls Short of Super Bowl Hype but Delivers Massive Win
UFC Freedom 250 was an unquestionable hit, but the biggest event in combat sports didn’t quite touch Super Bowl number.
Paramount+ said viewership for UFC Freedom 250 reached 17 million across the U.S. and Latin America, citing Nielsen in a press release on Thursday. The previous record was five million viewers for the first UFC card on Paramount+ in January.
How did UFC Freedom 250 compare to Super Bowl?
UFC boss Dana White was “expecting Super Bowl-type numbers” for the fight on the White House lawn. The 2026 Super Bowl was watched by an estimated 125 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
The UFC and Donald Trump promoted this event diligently. Even though they didn’t even come close to touching Super Bowl viewership numbers, this event was a massive success for the UFC.
Politics aside – the production quality of UFC Freedom 250 was awesome. Fighters walking out of the White House from all angles, surrounded by military heroes. The live band was great. The backdrops of Washington, D.C. completely trumped the visuals at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
But more importantly, the fights exceeded expectations. All seven bouts ended before decisions. Judges weren’t needed.
For the health of the sport, that’s a good thing. Casual fans love knockouts and finishes. For an event that hauled in well over 10 million more viewers than the average UFC fight, that feels like a massive win. The UFC has a few upcoming weekends of Fight Nights before UFC 329, where Conor McGregor is expected to make his long-awaited return against Max Holloway.
It’s probable that fight will pull in big ratings also, which should appease Paramount+ – as long as the streaming giant had more realistic expectations than Dana White’s Super Bowl prediction.
Over the last few years, many fans have griped that the UFC was running low on superstars. But Diego Lopes got a huge ovation from the American crowd after the first fight of the night. Bo Nickal got a much-needed victory to maintain relevance in the UFC.
More notably, Josh Hokit’s viral Michelle Obama comment got the heavyweight exactly what he wanted – attention. Even though the UFC publicly shamed these remarks, there’s no doubt that they understand his personality is polarizing and could cause fans to tune in. Similarly, Sean O’Malley earning big knockout finishes always feels good for those fans that tune in.
Sure, the point still stands that there aren’t a ton of intriguing names on the rise. But Hokit’s fights will be watched. Fans will always keep up with O’Malley. And there will be natural intrigue on what Justin Gaethje decides to do next after this win. Similarly, what will Ilia Topuria do following that first devastating defeat?
The White House card might’ve fallen hilariously short of Super Bowl expectations. Dana White loves to remind fight fans that he’s not competing with up and coming leagues like the PFL or Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Instead, he insists that he’s competing with the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Report: Big 12 keeps Brendan Sorsby lawsuit active amid draft questions
Brazil's Raphinha (leg) departs match vs. Haiti
