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After sweep, Cardinals promise their best effort vs. rival Cubs

May 23, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA;  St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (18) scores a run on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Masyn Winn (0), during the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn ImagesMay 23, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (18) scores a run on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Masyn Winn (0), during the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals will begin the last leg of their four-team gauntlet through the National League Central when they open a three-game series against the visiting Chicago Cubs on Friday.

The Cardinals haven’t fared well thus far. They lost two of three games to the Pittsburgh Pirates, split a pair of contests in a weather-abbreviated series versus the Cincinnati Reds and were outscored 13-2 in a three-game sweep by the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Taken a step further, St. Louis batted .177 (17-for-96) and went 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the series versus Milwaukee to see its losing skid reach a season high-tying four games.

Through it all, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he is keeping an open mind with his young club.

“What happens (in the next game or next series), I have no idea, but I can tell you what won’t happen,” Marmol said Thursday. “We won’t have guys going out there sulking and giving away games. They’re not going to let (Wednesday’s 2-1 loss) affect them and they’re going to give you their best shot. Whether it’s good enough or not, we don’t know. But it’s not going to be because we didn’t give our best shot.”

Jordan Walker collected a pair of hits and scored the Cardinals’ lone run in their 2-1 loss on Wednesday. He is 8-for-24 with two homers, eight RBIs and four runs in his last six games.

Another player who didn’t struggle his last time out for St. Louis is right-hander Andre Pallante (5-4, 3.76 ERA). The 27-year-old held Cincinnati to one run on two hits with three strikeouts over six innings pitched in an 8-1 road win over the Reds on Saturday.

But if history holds, he could be in for a long day on Friday. Pallante is 4-4 over his last eight starts, alternating wins and losses throughout the streak. One the bright side, his most recent loss was perhaps his best start of the season — one earned run over 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts in a 2-0 loss against Kansas City on May 17.

Pallante is 0-4 with a 4.40 ERA in 12 games (five starts) in his career against the Cubs.

He’d be wise to pitch carefully to Ian Happ, who belted a two-run homer among his three hits in Chicago’s 7-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday. Happ is 5-for-11 with two homers and seven RBIs in his last two games.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Cubs won both of those contests to pick up steam after losing a season-high 10 games in a row.

Speaking of losing streaks, Chicago left-hander Shota Imanaga (4-5, 4.04) will look to snap a three-game skid when he makes the start on Friday.

Imanaga was shelled in his last two outings, surrendering 15 runs on 16 hits — including five homers — in 10 1/3 innings. He particularly was down on himself after he was taken deep three times in an 8-5 setback at home to the Houston Astros on Sunday.

“In the beginning, (the splitter) felt good, but in the later innings, it felt like the splitters that were trying to go down below the zone were left up in the zone,” Imanaga said, per the Chicago Sun-Times.

“The best ones are when it starts in the bottom of the zone and drops to the hitters’ knees. That’s something I need to work on.”

Imanaga, 32, is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in four career appearances (all starts) against St. Louis.

–Field Level Media

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Tom Kim, J.J. Spaun among 6 co-leaders at Charles Schwab

May 28, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Tom Kim watches his shot from the sixth tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn ImagesMay 28, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Tom Kim watches his shot from the sixth tee during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Tom Kim of South Korea wrapped up the final hole of a 6-under-par 64 after a delay of more than two hours, making him one of six players with a share of the lead at the Charles Schwab Challenge on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kim, J.J. Spaun, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Matt McCarty and Lee Hodges are the sextet at 6 under. Hodges reached 7 under with three holes to go late Thursday evening, but he hit a wayward drive and had to lay up, leading to his only bogey of the day at his final hole, the ninth.

The first round at Colonial Country Club was suspended at 4:15 p.m. local due to a dangerous weather situation and did not resume until 6:19. At the time of the interruption, Gerard and Putnam had the clubhouse lead, while Kim had just the par-4 ninth left to play. The three-time PGA Tour winner two-putted from 52 feet to save par.

“Whether you’re playing great or not, just the horn blowing on the last hole just stinks,” Kim said. But it’s kind of part of it, and hopefully (I) manage my time well and rest well tonight.”

Before the delay, Kim made his run by birdieing seven holes in an eight-hole stretch between Nos. 14 and 3. A bogey-birdie-bogey run from Nos. 5-7 took him down a peg, but he was pleased with his game.

“Instead of thinking about the play or the finish,” he said, “every day I’m trying to build on what I’m working on and putting all the pieces together where hopefully I can keep getting my game better where I feel comfortable and start competing at a high level consistently.”

Kim, 23, won three times on the PGA Tour by the age of 21 but has fallen to No. 144 in the world rankings.

Putnam, who had a bogey-free day, seeks his second PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2018 Barracuda Championship. Gerard’s only win on tour, coincidentally, came at the Barracuda Championship last year. He mixed eight birdies with two bogeys Thursday.

“Swinging it nicely, hitting it where I want to for the most part, and just it was nice to get a couple putts to go in,” Gerard said. “I know the stats are probably going to lean more putting, but I’ve been hitting my driver really well and just like to continue doing what I’m doing for the rest of the week.”

Spaun birdied No. 18 after the suspension to conclude a bogey-free round. After winning the Valero Texas Open last month, he’s searching for another strong finish to propel him into next month’s U.S. Open, where he’s the defending champion.

Hodges, like many in the field, praised the course for its challenges but observed that it played softer from this week’s weather.

“Normally I feel like at this tournament someone shoots 8 under the first day, and 12 under wins the tournament,” said Hodges, another one-time winner on tour. “I think you’ll see some lower scores. Obviously I don’t know if there’s rain in the forecast or not, so it could get dry and firmer.”

A 12-man logjam at 5-under 65 included past major champions Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman and Gary Woodland, along with Alex Smalley, who’s seeking his first PGA Tour victory two weeks after he was the surprise 54-hole leader of the PGA Championship.

Max Homa, Russell Henley and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama stood at 4-under 66. Defending champion Ben Griffin opened with a 2-under 68.

–Field Level Media

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Red Sox place RHP Garrett Whitlock (knee) on 15-day injured list

May 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA;  Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock (22) pitches in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn ImagesMay 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock (22) pitches in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox placed right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list on Thursday because of left knee inflammation.

The move was retroactive to Monday. In a corresponding move, the Red Sox recalled rookie left-hander Tyler Samaniego from Triple-A Worcester.

Whitlock, the team’s top setup man to closer Aroldis Chapman, hyperextended his left knee in his most-recent game, a 6-5 home loss on Sunday to the Minnesota Twins in muddy conditions.

“First warmup pitch on Sunday, obviously, the conditions were super wet, I kind of slipped and hyperextended my knee and everything,” Whitlock said of when the injury occurred.

Whitlock, 29, allowed one run on two hits in one-third of an inning.

“Honestly, I got pretty sped-up just because it was on the very first (warmup) pitch, and then I was like, ‘Man, that didn’t feel good.’ And it was just kind of in my head,” Whitlock said. “And then I saw the clock going. I was like, ‘Oh, they didn’t stop it. I need to keep throwing.’ So yeah, I probably should have taken some time to be like, ‘All right, slow things down.’ But that’s part of it. You’re just trying to compete and everything. I’m never going to make excuses.”

Whitlock, who has missed three games including Thursday, took a pain-killing injection on Tuesday. He also underwent an MRI earlier this week.

“Luckily, no structural damage, like no ligament or anything like that,” Whitlock said. “So I’m just kind of trying to get everything out of it now.”

Whitlock is 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA, six walks and 25 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings over 20 relief appearances this season.

For his career, all with Boston since the 2021 season, Whitlock is 28-15 with 10 saves, a 3.13 ERA, 82 walks and 368 strikeouts in 333 1/3 innings over 185 regular-season games (23 starts).

Samaniego is 0-2 with a 1.04 ERA, seven walks and 13 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings over 18 relief appearances for Boston this season.

–Field Level Media

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Dream looking to play from ahead when they face surging Fire

May 27, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Fire forward-center Frieda Buhner (20) celebrates with teammates during the second half after scoring a three point basket against the Connecticut Sun at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesMay 27, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Fire forward-center Frieda Buhner (20) celebrates with teammates during the second half after scoring a three point basket against the Connecticut Sun at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The visiting Atlanta Dream will look to recover from their most decisive loss of the season against the trending Portland Fire on Friday.

Leading scorer Allisha Gray had 21 points and five 3-pointers in the Dream’s 96-81 loss at Minnesota on Wednesday, when the Lynx avenged a season-opening 91-90 home loss May 9 and overtook the Dream (4-2) for first place in the league standings.

The expansion Fire (5-3) ran their winning streak to three with a 71-61 home victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, finishing the game on a 21-6 run.

Leading scorer Carla Leite and reserve Frieda Buhner hit decisive 3-pointers to give the Fire a 66-57 lead with 1:32 remaining. Buhner had a career-high nine points.

“This is part of our identity to always bring that energy from the bench,” Buhner said. “We are a team that nobody wants to play against because they know we can always come back. That energy is just amazing.”

Leite continued her strong run with a game-high 20 points, pushing her scoring average to 16.3 points. The Fire’s second pick in the expansion draft, Leite has 53 points and 14 assists during Portland’s winning streak.

Forward Bridget Carleton, the first overall selection in the expansion draft, is averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals in keying the Fire’s quick start.

“We’re never going to give up. That’s just who we are,” Carleton said.

The Dream’s Angel Reese is one of three players in the league averaging a double-double, with 12.3 points and a league-high 10.8 rebounds per game. However, she was neutralized by a Lynx frontline that is still without Napheesa Collier.

Reese had 10 points on a 3-of-8 shooting with eight rebounds and five assists, and the Lynx also exploited the Dream on the defensive end by scoring 52 points in the paint.

“I feel we were stagnant, watching one player instead of relieving the player,” Gray said. “It was just a lot of standing.”

Atlanta has trailed at halftime in five of its six games this season and twice has overcome 15-point deficits to win.

“We’re definitely trying to get to that point where we’re the team that is putting teams away early and not having to fight back for the win,” said forward Naz Hillmon, who had 15 points and eight rebounds against Minnesota. “Today that hurt us.”

–Field Level Media

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