Sports
Angels seek elusive back-to-back wins in rematch vs. Rangers
May 17, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images After slamming four home runs in their best offensive output in nearly a month while winning Friday’s series opener with Texas, the Los Angeles Angels will try to win back-to-back games for the first time since early May when they face the Rangers on Saturday night.
It won’t be easy for the Angels.
Veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (5-4, 3.62 ERA), who has allowed just one run over 22 innings while winning his last three starts, will take the mound Saturday for the Rangers and will oppose hard-throwing rookie right-hander Walbert Urena (1-4, 2.70).
Eovaldi is 7-3 with a 3.04 ERA in 16 career appearances (14 starts) against Los Angeles, including 2-0 with an 0.69 ERA in two starts last season, when he allowed 11 hits and one earned run over 13 innings.
Eovaldi, 36, comes in on a roll. Despite being scratched from a scheduled start against Arizona on May 11 with left side tightness, he bounced back to throw seven shutout innings in a 8-0 victory over Houston on Sunday. He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out eight while producing 19 swings-and-misses, including 13 with his splitter.
“I felt good,” Eovaldi said. “I thought I had a good game plan coming in. The curveball was good, the splitter was really good, and the sinker as well. It was just trying to attack the zone, not fall behind a lot of guys.”
Eovaldi will try to slow a Los Angeles offense that scored six runs, including two homers, in just three innings against two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom in Friday’s opener. The Angels scored nine runs in a game for the first time since April 26 in an 11-9, 10-inning loss at Kansas City.
Shortstop Zach Neto hit two home runs on Friday, including one on deGrom’s first pitch, and left fielder Wade Meckler hit his first major league homer later in the first, a 403-foot, three-run blast into the right-field bleachers.
It was Neto’s 12th career leadoff homer, tied with Darin Erstad for second-most in team history. Brian Downing holds the team record of 19.
“Neto leading that inning off with a homer and then Meckler coming in with the three-run (homer) really set the tone for the game,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said.
It was a storybook night for Anaheim native Meckler, who attended the city’s Esperanza High School before walking on at Oregon State, where he earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors.
An eighth-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2022, Meckler grew up attending games at Anaheim Stadium and idolizing Mike Trout, who started in center field next to him in Meckler’s first Angels start on Friday.
Meckler made a highlight-reel, backhanded catch in the top of the first on a Brandon Nimmo liner while sliding into the wall in foul territory. Then in his first at-bat with the Angels, he clubbed his first major league homer, off deGrom, while his parents watched from the stands.
“Pretty surreal moment,” said Meckler, 26. “I grew up coming to games here. Probably have been to 50 or 60 games growing up. It’s cool to do that in your first at-bat here.”
Meckler had played in 20 big-league games with the Giants in 2023, batting .232 in 56 at-bats.
The Angels, 7-24 over their last 31 games, will turn to Urena to try and win back-to-back games for the first time since May 5-6 against the White Sox.
It will be his first career appearance against Texas and seventh career start. Urena has a 1.64 ERA over his last four starts and allowed just four hits over six shutout innings Monday in his most recent outing, a 2-1 Angels win over the Athletics.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ross Chastain wins rain-shortened O’Reilly Series race at Charlotte
May 23, 2026; Concord, North Carolina, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series 2026 driver Ross Chastain (9) celebrates in victory lane after his win during the Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images CONCORD, N.C.-Ross Chastain drove through a succession of challenges-including a patch of oil and a brush with the outside wall-to win Saturday night’s rain-shortened Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The victory was Chastain’s first in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series since 2019, his first at Charlotte and the third of his career. The race was stopped for rain for the second time after Chastain crossed the finish line to win the second stage on Lap 90.
With no hope of continuing, NASCAR called the race after Lap 91 and declared Chastain the winner.
“I did not think we would win one like this, driving into the fence in liquid,” said Chastain, who was driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. “I have no idea what it was. I went into Turn 1 like normal, and there was something on the track.
“No matter how we win, I feel like we could have raced with them again at the end.”
Chastain’s thoughts quickly turned to the absence of champion driver Kyle Busch, who on Thursday lost his life to a sudden illness at age 41.
“This weekend, it’s just incredible trying to grasp losing Kyle,” Chastain said. “I don’t understand how he’s not here racing. I don’t grasp it mentally or spiritually.
“Obviously, racing is the best thing we can to celebrate what he did in the sport and in his life.”
Defending O’Reilly Series champion Jesse Love, who drives for Richard Childress Racing — as did Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series — was second when the race was called.
“If this week taught us anything, it’s that all this doesn’t matter as much as we think it does,” Love said. “As much as I’m angry and confused and upset (about the way the race finished), I also realized there’s a lot of hurt people right now.”
A spate of cautions punctuated the second stage of the race after a rain delay of more than four hours, but the real damage came on Lap 73, when the drivers of eight cars-including Chastain-slid through fluid deposited by the No. 35 Chevrolet of Dawson Cram.
Chastain kept his car on the track with seemingly minimal damage. Other drivers weren’t as fortunate.
Victims of the oily track included series leader Justin Allgaier, Sheldon Creed, Taylor Gray and Jeremy Clements. Allgaier stayed on the lead lap after repeated trips to pit road for repairs but finished 29th as the final 18 laps of the race remained under caution thanks to drizzling rain and mist that wet the track and obscured spotters’ views from the top of the grandstand.
Austin Hill, Love’s RCR teammate, finished third, followed by William Sawalich and Corey Day. Connor Zilisch, Ryan Sieg, Cole Custer, Carson Kvapil and Rajah Caruth completed the top 10, as JR Motorsports placed three drivers in the top 10.
Rain slowed the race twice in the first 33 laps, the first time for a drizzle under caution for Harrison Burton’s spin in Turn 4, the second time for a harder rain that fell after NASCAR called a competition caution on Lap 26.
The rain persisted while the cars circulated under the yellow flag for seven more laps, with Allgaier in the lead behind the pace car. Ultimately, NASCAR red-flagged the race after Lap 33, and the cars sat covered on pit road waiting for a resumption.
At 9:45 p.m. NASCAR called the drivers back to their cars, and the race resumed with eight laps left in Stage 1 after a stoppage of 4 hours, 21 minutes, 58 seconds.
On Lap 42, Allgaier got loose over the bumps in Turn 3 and gave up the lead to Zilisch, who took the green-checkered flag as the stage winner three laps later.
Then came the decisive second stage, fraught with all its perils. And after it was over, Chastain took a bow, mimicking Busch’s signature move, before making his own familiar move — a watermelon smash — from the roof of his car.
The rain that halted the NASCAR O’Reilly Series race prematurely also forced postponement of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race for the third time.
The event is now scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday and will be broadcast on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race – Charbroil 300
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 23, 2026
1. (14) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 91.
2. (17) Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 91.
3. (6) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 91.
4. (7) William Sawalich, Toyota, 91.
5. (2) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 91.
6. (5) Connor Zilisch(i), Chevrolet, 91.
7. (9) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 91.
8. (29) Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 91.
9. (24) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 91.
10. (10) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 91.
11. (8) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 91.
12. (31) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 91.
13. (13) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 91.
14. (21) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 91.
15. (30) Leland Honeyman Jr(i), Chevrolet, 91.
16. (16) Austin Green, Chevrolet, 91.
17. (37) Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 91.
18. (23) Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 91.
19. (22) Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 91.
20. (36) David Starr, Chevrolet, 91.
21. (27) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 91.
22. (35) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 91.
23. (28) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 91.
24. (33) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 91.
25. (26) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 91.
26. (32) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 91.
27. (11) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 91.
28. (20) Andrew Patterson, Chevrolet, 91.
29. (1) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 91.
30. (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 90.
31. (25) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 73.
32. (12) Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, Accident, 73.
33. (34) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, Engine, 72.
34. (38) JJ Yeley, Ford, Fuel Pump, 64.
35. (4) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 62.
36. (3) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, Accident, 61.
37. (18) Brent Crews #, Toyota, Accident, 51.
38. (19) Harrison Burton, Toyota, Accident, 51.
–by Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Sports
Mike Trout homers, Angels get rare back-to-back wins
May 23, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) hits a two-run home run during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Mike Trout hit a two-run homer to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.
It was the 417th homer of Trout’s career. Zach Neto went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double and two runs scored for Los Angeles, which won the first two games of a series for the first time opening the season with back-to-back wins at Houston on March 26-27.
Walbert Urena (2-4) picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out six. Kirby Yates pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his first save with the Angels and the 99th of his career.
Kyle Higashioka hit a home run and Alejandro Osuna went 3-for-3 with a run scored for Texas. Nathan Eovaldi (5-5) suffered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out six.
Eovaldi, who came into the contest allowing just one run over his previous 22 innings in three starts, gave up two to the first two batters he faced in the game. Neto led off with a walk and then scored on Trout’s 13th home run, a 411-foot drive to left-center. It marked the fourth straight game that the Angels hit a homer in the first inning.
Texas cut the lead to 2-1 in the second when Osuna led off with an infield single, went to second on a walk by Jake Burger, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ezequiel Duran.
The Angels extended the lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning when Neto doubled into the left field corner and scored one out later on a double into the right field corner by Nolan Schanuel.
The Rangers cut the lead to 3-2 in the seventh when Higashioka led off with his third home run, a 395-foot drive to left-center.
The Angels added a couple of insurance runs in the eighth inning on a two-run, bases-loaded single by Oswald Peraza.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mike Trout homers, Angels best Rangers for rare back-to-back wins
May 23, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) hits a two-run home run during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Mike Trout hit a two-run homer to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.
It was the 417th homer of Trout’s career. Zach Neto went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored for Los Angeles, which won the first two games of a series for the first time since opening the season with back-to-back wins at Houston on March 26-27.
Walbert Urena (2-4) picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out six. Kirby Yates pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his first save with the Angels and the 99th of his career.
Kyle Higashioka hit a home run and Alejandro Osuna went 3-for-3 with a run scored for Texas. Nathan Eovaldi (5-5) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out six.
Eovaldi, who came into the contest allowing just one run over his previous 22 innings spanning three starts, gave up two to the first two batters he faced in the game. Neto led off with a walk and then scored on Trout’s 13th home run, a 411-foot drive to left-center. It marked the fourth straight game that the Angels hit a homer in the first inning.
Texas cut the lead to 2-1 in the second when Osuna led off with an infield single, went to second on a walk by Jake Burger, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ezequiel Duran.
The Angels extended the lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning when Neto doubled into the left field corner and scored one out later on a double into the right field corner by Nolan Schanuel.
The Rangers cut the lead to 3-2 in the seventh when Higashioka led off with his third home run, a 395-foot drive to left-center.
The Angels added a couple of insurance runs in the eighth inning on a two-run, bases-loaded single by Oswald Peraza.
–Field Level Media
Ross Chastain wins rain-shortened O’Reilly Series race at Charlotte
Mike Trout homers, Angels get rare back-to-back wins
