Sports
Angels' Jose Soriano on mission to regain form vs. Athletics
May 16, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Soriano (59) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Angels are hoping for a bounce-back effort from staff ace Jose Soriano as they try to earn a split of their four-game series with the Athletics on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif.
Soriano (6-3, 2.41 ERA) was the American League Pitcher of the Month for March/April after allowing only one earned run in 37 2/3 innings over his first six starts (0.24 ERA) while striking out 43 batters. But talk about a possible Cy Young Award has quieted down a little after he has lost three of his past four starts, allowing 15 earned runs in 22 innings.
Soriano comes in off his worst start of the season, a 15-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Saturday. He allowed a season-high six runs in 5 1/3 innings despite yielding just one hit, a single to Freddie Freeman.
Soriano walked a career-high six batters, including four in a five-run sixth inning that also saw him hit a batter. He left after throwing 92 pitches, just 48 that were strikes.
“Everything was good up until that moment, but then I struggled with command,” Soriano said. “A lot of walks. It is what it is. There’s nothing we can do about it. Just try and be ready for the next time.”
Soriano is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in eight appearances (six starts) in his career against the A’s. He was pounded for eight earned runs on five hits and five walks over 2 1/3 innings in his most recent start against the Athletics that came last Sept. 5 in Anaheim.
Los Angeles has lost eight of its past nine games and is just 6-23 in last 29 contests.
For the A’s, right-hander Luis Severino (2-5, 4.45) will get the nod on Thursday. He is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in seven career starts against the Angels.
Soriano will try to snap a personal three-start losing streak for the Athletics.
As with Soriano, May has not been a kind month for Severino, who is 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts. He comes in off a 6-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Saturday that saw him give up five runs on a season-high 10 hits — including a pair of home runs to Casey Schmitt — over six innings while striking out seven.
“Obviously, Schmitt was an issue,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “But I thought Sevy’s outing was a couple pitches away from being really good.”
The good news for the Athletics is the game is on the road, where Severino has excelled in an A’s uniform. Severino is 6-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 14 career road starts with the Athletics compared to 3-11 with a 5.91 ERA in 19 career starts at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif.
The A’s will be going for their third straight victory after rallying for a 6-5 win in 10 innings on Wednesday. Jeff McNeil led off the ninth with a home run off Kirby Yates to tie it, 5-5, and Tyler Soderstrom recorded his third RBI of the game after driving in Nick Kurtz with the winning run in the 10th.
Kurtz extended his on-base streak to 43 games with a single and two walks. He also scored two runs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Carmen Mlodzinski gets plenty of support as Pirates shut out Cardinals
May 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski (50) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates got a home run from Spencer Horwitz as they emphatically snapped their four-game losing streak with a 7-0 win over the host St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3) threw five scoreless innings for Pittsburgh, which outhit the Cardinals 15-5. Four relievers completed the shutout. Rookie Konnor Griffin led the way for the Pirates offensively with a 4-for-5 night and three runs scored.
There was also a milestone moment for Pirates center fielder Jhostynxon Garcia, who recorded his first career RBI in the win. Garcia was making only his second start for Pittsburgh after being called up on Tuesday.
JJ Wetherholt went 2-for-4 at the top of the St. Louis order and Victor Scott II hit a double.
Mlodzinski worked around a single and a walk to strand two on base in the first inning. The Pirates struck first in the top of the second with Horwitz’s fourth home run of the season.
Pittsburgh mounted a two-out rally in the fourth to extend its lead. After Griffin reached on his first of two infield singles and Endy Rodriguez walked, Garcia’s RBI single doubled the Pirates’ advantage.
Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy (3-3) was chased after loading the bases without recording an out on three consecutive singles in the sixth. Justin Bruihl came on in relief and got out of the jam, but not without allowing Pittsburgh to add on with Nick Gonzales’ sacrifice fly.
McGreevy finished with three runs allowed in five-plus innings. The right-hander struggled to miss bats, allowing 10 hits and striking out only one hitter.
St. Louis also loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but Yohan Ramirez struck out Masyn Winn, and Jake Mangum made a sliding grab at the wall in right to rob Cesar Prieto of extra bases and keep the shutout intact.
The result was put beyond doubt when Pittsburgh put up four runs off Matt Svanson in the eighth. Mangum and Gonzales hit RBI singles before Bryan Reynolds blew open the inning with a two-run double.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Second-period surge leads Knights past Avalanche in West finals opener
May 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) scores past Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) during the second period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images DENVER — Dylan Coghlan and Pavel Dorofeyev scored 2:33 apart in the second period, Carter Hart made 36 saves, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday.
Brett Howton also had a goal and Nic Dowd scored into an empty net for Vegas, which grabbed home-ice advantage from the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night in Denver.
Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog scored while Scott Wedgewood turned away 24 shots for Colorado, which trails in a series for the first time in this postseason.
Vegas captain Mark Stone (lower-body injury) and Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) were scratched.
Both teams had chances in a scoreless first period. Keegan Kolesar nearly gave the Golden Knights the lead on a partial breakaway early on. Logan O’Connor hit the post for the Avalanche, and Hart made a save on Nazem Kadri in the waning seconds of the period.
Vegas finally broke through at 12:29 of the second period. Brandon Saad sent a pass to Coghlan in the slot, and Coghlan’s wrister beat Wedgewood through the pads for his first goal of the postseason.
Colorado’s Ross Colton took a roughing penalty less than two minutes later, and the Golden Knights took advantage. Mitch Marner stretched out with the puck and whipped a pass to Dorofeyev coming down the right side. Dorofeyev sent a one-timer to the short side past at 15:02, his 10th goal of the playoffs.
Vegas made it 3-0 early in the third after killing off a Colorado power play. Howden knocked down the rebound of Ben Hutton’s shot with his glove and tapped the puck by Wedgewood at 1:34.
The Avalanche answered at 5:53 when Nichushkin redirected Colton’s pass beyond Hart.
Wedgewood came off when Colorado went on the power play at 16:52, and Landeskog cut the deficit to one at 17:39.
The Avalanche pulled Wedgwood again, but Dowd sealed it into an empty net at 19:15.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ed Orgeron joins Lane Kiffin staff, reunites with LSU
Nov 27, 2021; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron looks on during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images LSU reached an agreement with Ed Orgeron on Wednesday to join Lane Kiffin’s current staff in Baton Rouge, reuniting the school with its former head football coach.
Orgeron, 64, will be serving as a special assistant to recruiting and defense, per the school’s social media.
The 2019 national championship-winning coach spent five seasons as the head man for LSU and was a popular figure as a Louisiana native who won 51 games and went 4-1 in bowl games.
Eventually, the wins stopped coming and Orgeron was run out following back-to-back .500 seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Before that, he guided the Tigers to one of their greatest seasons in history, helming a dominant team headlined by Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase to a 15-0 record and two dominant wins in the playoffs.
Kiffin, LSU’s new head coach, was Orgeron’s boss at previous stops at Tennessee (2009) and USC (2010-13). Orgeron ultimately succeeded Kiffin at USC, becoming the interim coach to close out the 2013 season. The two previously coached together as assistant coaches at USC from 2001-04.
Orgeron also preceded Kiffin as the head coach at Ole Miss, going 10-25 there from 2005-07.
Kiffin closed his Ole Miss tenure 55-19, with a playoff berth last season.
–Field Level Media
Carmen Mlodzinski gets plenty of support as Pirates shut out Cardinals
Second-period surge leads Knights past Avalanche in West finals opener
