Sports
After rare misstep, Pirates' bullpen seeks redemption vs. Cardinals
Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana (60) waits for St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) to run the bases after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images Thirty-six innings. More than a year. That’s how long it had been since the Cardinals scored against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
St. Louis quickly made up for lost time.
The Cardinals exploded for four runs with one out in the ninth inning against the usually reliable Dennis Santana as St. Louis posted a 4-2 win in the opener of a four-game series with the Pirates on Monday.
The teams go right back at it Tuesday night.
The Cardinals went scoreless in the last inning of a 2-1, 13-inning defeat at Pittsburgh on April 9, 2025, dropping the decisive contest of a three-game series.
The Pirates then swept a three-game home series against St. Louis early last July, shutting out the Cards in all three games and outscoring the visitors 13-0.
And then came the 2026 season-series opener on Monday. Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly scheduled a bullpen game, and his relievers came into the contest in fine form, having combined for 24 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings extending back to a win at Texas on Wednesday.
The Pirates kept St. Louis off the basepaths entirely for the first 6 1/3 innings. Mason Montgomery started for the second time this season, and Justin Lawrence followed, each tossing a scoreless inning.
Wilber Dotel, making just his third major league appearance, threw four perfect innings and struck out three.
“We had targeted four innings from him, and we thought that would be the absolute max,” Kelly said. “I thought (the pitchers) did a tremendous job. I mean, from Monty to Lawrence and then Dotel came in firing and (Evan) Sisk as well.”
The Cardinals’ first hit didn’t blow the doors off. Alec Burleson beat out a ground ball to third against Sisk in the seventh, but Sisk, Isaac Mattson and Gregory Soto kept the Cardinals off the board until Santana entered in the ninth.
Santana came into the contest with two saves and a 0.69 ERA in 13 appearances, but he gave up back-to-back home runs to backup catcher Pedro Pages and rookie JJ Wetherholt.
“Everybody loves him,” Cardinals teammate and former West Virginia University teammate Victor Scott II said of Wetherholt. “It’s kind of hard not to love that guy. He’s a very infectious kid to be around. Just an awesome player.”
Jose Fermin followed four batters later with a bases-loaded, two-run double for the win. The Pirates lost their second straight game, marking the first time this season they lost on consecutive days.
Pittsburgh did not list a starting pitcher for Tuesday. Right-handed reliever Cam Sanders (0-0, 12.00 ERA) could be a possibility for his first major league start, but he got the last out on Monday after Santana’s meltdown. He has never faced the Cardinals.
St. Louis, which won for the first time in five games, will give the ball to right-hander Kyle Leahy (2-3, 5.63 ERA), who has alternated losses and wins in his five starts. He allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings of an 8-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
Leahy will be starting against the Pirates for the first time. In seven career relief outings vs. Pittsburgh, he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.
Pittsburgh’s Nick Gonzales went 3-for-4 on Monday, extending his season-best hitting streak to eight games. Gonzales is batting .484 (15-for-31) with three RBIs and five runs during the streak.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rapids sign French M Youssef Maziz
Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view of a match MLS soccer ball during the first half between the Inter Miami CF against the Colorado Rapids at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The Colorado Rapids announced the signing of French midfielder Youssef Maziz on Friday.
Maziz, 28, is signed through 2027-28 with an option for 2028-29 and will occupy an international roster slot.
He spent the past three seasons with Belgian first-division side OH Leuven, logging 15 goals and 16 assists in 114 appearances across all competitions.
“Youssef is a player who brings creativity and football intelligence that we believe will have a real impact on our attack,” Rapids president Padraig Smith said. “He has the vision and technical quality to unlock opposition defenses, create chances for those around him, and elevate the players alongside him.”
OFFICIAL: The club has signed French midfielder Youssef Maziz to a contract through the 2027-28 MLS season, with a club option for 2028-29.
Bienvenue au Colorado, Youssef ???
?? » https://t.co/Z3E5WHzuHd pic.twitter.com/qMUWtUyTg8
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) July 31, 2026
Maziz previously played for FC Metz, tallying nine goals and seven assists in 50 appearances from 2017-23 and helping the club earn promotion to Ligue 1 in 2022-23.
“Youssef is the exact type of character we have been looking to bring to the club. He has fantastic experience playing in high level games and will be a great addition to our young midfield group,” Rapids coach Matt Wells said. “He is a very creative player; always looking to make and score goals but, crucially, he combines this with high intensity pressing out of possession.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Goldeneyes move Cara Gardner Morey from GM to head coach
A general view of hockey sticks. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images The Vancouver Goldeneyes are moving Cara Gardner Morey to head coach after serving as general manager during their inaugural PWHL season in 2025-26.
Gardner Morey, 47, previously served as head coach of the women’s ice hockey team at Princeton from 2017-25.
“I’m excited to return to coaching,” she said in a news release on Thursday. “Over the course of the offseason, I spent a lot of time reflecting and discussing what was best for our team and for me personally. Through that process, I realized how much I missed being behind the bench.
“While I continue to be incredibly proud of what we built in Vancouver during our inaugural season, coaching is where I know I can make the biggest impact. To have the opportunity to coach the roster we’ve assembled is an incredible privilege, and I can’t wait for us to take the ice later this year.”
Coach Cara ??
°The Vancouver Goldeneyes announced today that Cara Gardner Morey has been named Head Coach after serving as the team’s General Manager during its inaugural season.
°A search for the team’s next General Manager will begin now.
Details: https://t.co/urKPuV7R3B pic.twitter.com/JeymVedqjx
— Vancouver Goldeneyes (@PWHL__Vancouver) July 30, 2026
Gardner Morey helped Princeton win an Ivy League title and capture its first ECAC Tournament championship during her time with the Tigers.
Under previous head coach Brian Idalski, the Goldeneyes finished in sixth place in the PWHL standings during their debut season with 37 points. Idalski is now the head coach of the women’s team at Syracuse.
The league will lead the search for Vancouver’s next general manager.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Zach Johnson grabs first-round lead at Portugal Invitational
Zach Johnson participates in the trophy presentation after winning the Kaulig Companies PGA Championship Final Round, July 12, 2026, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. PGA Tour Champions rookie Zach Johnson carded an 8-under-par 64 on Friday to take the first-round lead at the Portugal Invitational in Algarve.
Johnson posted nine birdies and one bogey at The Els Club Vilamoura to build a one-shot lead against Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini, who is in solo second place after a bogey-free round with seven birdies.
Alex Cejka of Germany, Charlie Wi of South Korea, Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Mikael Lundberg of Sweden are tied for third place at 6-under-par, with six golfers another shot behind in a tie for seventh place.
Johnson, 50, already has won three times on the senior tour this season, including two of his last three tournaments at the Principal Charity Classic and Kaulig Companies Championship. He finished T7 at last week’s Senior Open.
“I would argue it’s the best tour in the world,” he said. “I’m enjoying it. I would love to have my family out more, but I know my wife’s enjoying it as well. She likes to watch golf and take a nap, so that works out well.”
Johnson opened with birdies at the first three holes, suffered his only bogey at the par-4 13th hole and grabbed the clubhouse lead with another birdie at the par-4 18th. He birdied all five par-5s on the course.
“It was just solid,” Johnson said. “There were very few stressful situations. I hit an errant tee shot on 13, just complete brain meltdown, just lack of focus on the tee shot, and it cost me a bogey. But other than that, it was a very simple day.”
Sabbatini started on the back nine and also played the par-5 holes in 5-under.
“The par-5s are scoring opportunities but you still have to be very cautious because if you try and be overly aggressive on them, they tend to bite you pretty hard,” Sabbatini said. “So you’ve got to try and remain within yourself on those holes and give yourself opportunities, but be prepared that if you try and take off a little bit more than you should, it’s probably going to result in either a par if you’re lucky and sometimes some bogeys.”
This is the first PGA Tour Champions tournament ever held on Portuguese soil.
Sixty-four of the 78 golfers shot even par or better on Friday. In addition to Harrington, the field includes World Golf Hall of Famers Retief Goosen, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie.
–Field Level Media
Rapids sign French M Youssef Maziz
Goldeneyes move Cara Gardner Morey from GM to head coach
